Leonel Mosqueda Jr.

COM 8

Social Roles in the 1950s

After the end of World War II, the men returned to their homes and eventually came back

to assume occupations that some women were occupying during the war. The women were then

expected to return home and take care of children while the husband went to work and go back to

providing for their family. Since men retook the jobs from women, many women felt

disenfranchised. During the 1950s, women were identified as denigrated and portrayed as

“stupid, submissive, purely domestic creatures.”

Social roles during the 1950s were a lot stricter for both males and females, the men

would put on their business suits every morning with the knowledge of being a real man. While

the women would be subordinate and must be a good wife to her husband. With in both genders

there’s high amounts of expectations which at the time would define the next generation. Young

males at the time would not only be raised in a home where gender roles are assigned and

prevalent throughout society, television shows would often influence the treatment of women.

Those young boys were exposed hyper-masculinity which resulted in devaluing the role of

women, which television shows often developed that expectation. It is significant to understand

how a highly constructed identity for men in America came to be and how it has affected us now

in the present.

A film from 1955 called “No Man’s Woman” directed by Franklin Adreon, a divorced

man named Harlow was asked if he wanted her wife back and replied that he would rather have

his convertible back. The act of devaluing women during that time was viewed to be more
masculine, when young boys would turn on the television they would see a demonstration of

each gender role in society. Children raised during the 1950s were not intentionally raised to

devalue women, rather the media young boys would be exposed to would influence their actions

and thoughts to believe that women are less valuable in society. Television shows would also

make women appear subordinate, the book “Women Watching Television: Gender, Class, and

Generation in the American Television Experience” states “Also, women in1950s television

were rarely, if ever, shown outside of the home” (Press 29).

Television shows have shaped gender roles, by depicting a so called perfect family and

how both men and women should behave and in a 2009 article “ Media portrayal of Gender

Stereotypes in the 1950s: Walt Disney's Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty”, states that “[…] the

majority of magazines, newspapers, movies, and other media directed its attention only towards

the women who did work inside the home.” Walt Disney also adapted the idea in his versions of

Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, which insinuates that women must have a stable hardworking

man to provide for them, rather than being independent. Fortunately, now women are being more

independent and rarely face stereotypes that were used to identify and negatively influence them.

Currently in the present gender roles are not defined but are different for each person or couple,

society has become more accepting of men staying home and taking care the children and

women working. I believe that society is moving in the right direction, although there is still

much to be done.
 Works Cited

Anxinto, J., Kennedy, J. E., M., Cox, D., & Echos, V. (Eds.). (2014, October 18). Masculinity,

Gender Roles, and T.V. Shows from the 1950s. Retrieved February 09, 2018, from

https://the-artifice.com/masculinity-gender-roles-tv-1950s/

Motion picture on VHS. (1955). United States: Republic Pictures. Retrieved February 09, 2018,

from https://youtu.be/-S8KptvXwMQ?list=PL18A29186EDC1F1BB

Press, A. L. (1991). Women Watching Television: Gender, Class, and Generationin the

American Television Experience. Pennsylvania, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press.

George, K. (2013, April 13). Gender Roles In A Post-War America. Retrieved March 18, 2018,

from http://social.rollins.edu/wpsites/thirdsight/2013/04/13/gender-roles-in-a-post-war-

america/

Fredericks, M. (2009, July 19). Media portrayal of Gender Stereotypes in the 1950s: Walt

Disney's Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Retrieved March 18, 2018, from

https://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/35528