This story was written in the 1970s in the midst of what is known as the second wave feminist movement. Second-wave feminism tackled a lot of different issues for women: sexuality, role within the family, the workplace, reproductive rights, legal inequalities, and more. At a time when women were making gains in the professional work world, they even were seen more within the military, the media, and also the sports world. Second-wave feminism also focused on changing the frequency of violence with proposals for considering marital rape laws, and funding for things such as battered women's shelters, and changes in custody and divorce law to make them all less favorable towards the man and more equal for both parties. During this time, while women did have many more rights than ever before, they still had many expectations that usually were concerned within the home.
Women’s Roles Throughout the history of the United States, women have held many different roles in social, political and economic classes. Before the Civil War, a woman had a traditional role in the home, working as a housewife. The fight for equal and voting rights started but was unfortunately not continued until after the war. With new technology and industrial advances, women’s roles in the work force increased immensely and obtained many new opportunities. Although before the Civil War, women rarely took a part in society, the war significantly changed women’s roles in many ways.
Trilogy of 1940’s Women Brittanie Glover Baker College of Clinton Township Trilogy of 1940’s Women During the 1940’s women's roles and expectations in society were changing rapidly. Women had very little say in society and were stereotyped as stay home, baby makers, and to be a good home maker and wife. The 40's were different, life for women was expanding, the men were at war and someone had to step up and take their place. Not only did the women have to take care of home, they now had to take care of the finances while still looking awesome. Women in the 40’s began entering to workforce, working in factories, labored jobs and became the attention of society in the entertainment industry, some even started to join or volunteer in
Coming from all walks of life, there were those already working who switched to higher-paying defense jobs, those who had lost their jobs due to the Depression, and then there were the women who worked at home. Rosie the Riveter was the idol for these working women also she was known as the cover girl for the recruiting campaign. By 1944, 16 percent of all working women held jobs in war industries. While an estimated 18 million women worked during the war, there was growing concern among them that when the war was over, it would never be the same again. That new venture for American women would soon come to an end.
The movement helped bring about major changes in the lives for women as a whole, and also in everyday life of others in the United States. Before the women begin to act out about the treatment they received for society, their expected roles was to sit home, bear children, clean the house, clean the clothes and cook. Tired, stressed and frustrated women had many demands that the societal expectations of them change, from being servile house-bound creatures expected to save themselves for one man in marriage, after and during this movement women were able to get professional and blue-collar jobs that were available only for men. Women were treated as though they were second class citizens and not as an equal to man. It put the demands for women’s equality, religion, sports, marriage and child bearing on a higher scale.
According to the Journal Beyond the Feminine Mystique, it listed two popular magazines that show the emergence of women beginning to believe in themselves and participating in the society (Meyerowitz). The movie Mona Lisa Smile described the American social culture prevalent during that period. When facing unexpected things that happened in Giselle’s life, she was strong and bold to move on and appreciate the changes that were being introduced. Giselle was a victim of the1950s America as her parents were divorced after the war. Her parents’ love had faded and she was stranded.
By the 1990s Sharpe went back to the same school and interviewed girls again and they had changed their priorities to careers and being able to support themselves by being more dependent rather than relying on a husband. Sue Sharpe has contributed to giving us an understanding of the way girls ambitions have changed, without this people would still assume women would want to grow up and be a housewife; looking after their children and doing domestic labour. A similar research was carried about by Becky Francis who asked girls about their career ambitions in 2001, most girls had
His mother was considered to be an excellent cook. Their whole family beamed about it, the mother in law even beamed about it. After his mother was married, her in-laws decided it was high time that she learn how and start to cook. However would her son survive? This was the mother-in-law’s greatest fear.
According to Sarah Killngsworth, “The war started and jobs kinda opened up for women that men had. I took a job at a shoe-repair store on Wilshire Boulevard. Cleanin’ shoes and dyin’ shoes, the same thing that men did.” Rosie the Riveter is widely known as the symbol of feminism and women’s economic power. “The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter” by Connie Field, although the documentary was only an hour long, went into great detail to explain the “new place in society” that white and black women had during the time of World War II. Field chose five women to interview and talk about their experiences during the war, stressing the working conditions that the high volume of war production built for black and white women.
If you ask a woman the question “who are you?’ immediately the response would be mother, sister, wife, grandmother or they give their professional title. A huge number of them have shifted roles, from being housewives and looking after their children to being active in the work force and government. In today’s culture being a woman means being advantaged. There is a trend in women taking over the global workplace, and more employers are hiring more women. However they face the challenge and constant pressure to perform in all areas of their life whilst balancing domestic and corporate lives.