Women in the 1950s

After the war: Men were home now. The jobs that women had been holding during wartime were either given back to the men returning or were no longer required. It returned back to a man’s world. Husbands went out in the world to work. The husband was the breadwinner and the head of the family. The woman was a housewife - with basically all the responsibilities inside the home, including those of raising children. No longer did she have her own money to spend - she depended upon the husband and his salary.

There was no greater calling to be a wife and mother; it was required in order to gain respect socially. A girl was termed old maid if not married by age 25, and if not married then there was considered something wrong with her. Around home the husband relaxed and recovered from work, although he was responsible for chores outside the house such as mow the lawn and small repairs.

The chores of the woman: to take care of her children and husband and all that it required for their physical and emotional well-being. This required shopping for food and necessities, cooking, cleaning, and ironing the clothing of husband and children (lots of this).

The woman’s job of the 1950s was to strive to be and look the perfect housewife. Women were judged not only on how well her home looked, but also on how well she looked. In advertisements, TV shows and movies, the house wife is pictured perfectly well-groomed as she is vacuuming, dusting and cooking. She is in a frilly dress, heels and apron - her nails, makeup and hair perfect. The perfect women…example the perfect woman image was Marilyn Monroe ( the character she played in her movie..How to Marry a Millionaire). Her topic of conversation should be cute , and topics about home, family, hobbies. Showing too much of ones intellectual smarts was not always an attractive quality. However if her tone was cute enough she could acceptingly say almost anything. Women were big consumers of cosmetics, bought magazines to see and read the latest. She groomed herself, kept her nails painted, etc... And mostly she had some time so that she could enjoy this at her leisure.

The woman was the important center of family life. She was counted on by the family and society. She provided emotional support; organized social occasions and church attendance; taught domestic skills to her daughter; taught proper etiquettes, cleanliness, and morals to the children. She accompanied her husband and children to their events. She joined social committees and clubs - the PTA, Welcome Wagon., etc...

Typical, or most respected, professions for women; teacher, secretary and nurse. But still, it was expected for the woman to put family first. Often women would have to quit her job in time of family callings or pregnancy - thus it could be difficult to advance to higher level in a career. However she also did not have the pressure of being the provider for the family.

The fifties bad girl: If a girl had a bad reputation, it could be tragic; difficult to overcome she was ostracized. Girls could be tagged with the title bad girl, sometimes through rumors. Some of the behaviors that could render a girl this title: obvious flirting, smoking a cigarette, wearing black eyeliner, associating with the wrong crowd, dress or neckline too revealing, dress too colorful. Also if she was seen necking with a boy, the ultimate was rumors of being in a family way. By the way if a girl was in this way she was shipped out of town to a relative or special home. The societal pressure was so strong that some resorted to illegal abortion. It was difficult for a girl to overcome a bad girl reputation. One remedy was marriage.

Dating behavior: Women/girls in the 1950s were pursued by the man/boy. She’s the prize to be sought after. The girl waited for the boy to make the first move. However she was allowed to smile in a shy manner at a boy, or have a friend hint to him, in order to encourage him to make that first move. The girl then waited for the boy to call or talk to her. It was most proper for the boy to call the girl even after dating a while. The 1950’s girl is cherished by the boy - he is enthused to accompany her, funds the date, opens doors for her, picks her up at her door, and meets with her parents.

Women were put on a pedestal, expected to be good. They were respected and protected by society and laws. All in all it was a simple lifestyle. The husband provided the financial support. The wife was free to devote time to herself and family, perhaps at a relaxing and enjoyable pace.