Sociology Of Sex Roles Essay Research Paper

Sociology Of Sex Roles Essay, Research Paper

The sex roles or our society have been changing from the dawn of time. What society feels to be “acceptable” in the eyes of the sexes, has changed due to media, the times, technological advances, and what a society as a whole feels necessary to survive and prosper. In the U.S, the sex roles have changed from what was perceived as acceptable in the 1950’s, to the present day America. Society shifted from a family oriented way of thinking, to a more liberal, loose fitting definition of family.

In the 1950’s, the U.S went through major shifts in the various sex roles held by both men and women. With the war going on, and the sudden decrease of men in and around the work force, women were called upon to do, what was once thought to be only work acceptable for a man to uphold. The once ever-popular ideal and role of the woman as a housewife, was socially changed to cater to the sudden loss of the main workforce, which in the 1950’s prior to the war, was predominantly male. Once the war was over and the men began to once again flood the work force, society suddenly made it inappropriate for women to hold the jobs they once did. Through propaganda the women were brought out of the original housewife mode and into the work place, and through propaganda, the women were placed back in their homes.

Prior to the war, the woman’s place was in the home. Her job was to be the housewife, mother and devoted wife, while the husband’s job was to make the money and provide for his family. “Women in the work field” was not thought to be appropriate. The middle classes in the U.S, strived to be socially acceptable, and along those thoughts, it was the middle classes that were fed the information through media, to establish the social norms. As seen in the movie, “Rosie the Riveter”, The ideal household, consisted of the women staying home and spending her time cleaning the house, getting the kids ready for her husband to come home, doing the laundry, and buying food with the money her husband gave her. Whereas, the husbands role was to bring in the money to support the family. Movies would portray such a lifestyle as being the norm, what society should be like. The companies, would market their product specifically with the intent of appealing to the females, just as they do today. The roles were pretty set, and no one really complained about where they fit in. For females, they were raised at a young age to accept their roles, and were conditioned to look to be the best housewife for her husband. The belief in a women’s destined social role, prior to WWII, was reinforced by the popular media of the day. “Since women bought 65-80% of all goods sold in the U.S, advertisement and product designs were frequently aimed at feminine concerns, at least as male advertising executives saw them.”(American Decades pg.279) Magazines were filled with images of dedicated housewives whose main concern was their family and pleasing their husband. The men were conditioned to work for the good of their family. Always perceived as the stronger sex, having to take care of the weaker one, which was the female.

Once the war started, the roles of the men and women changed. Due to the war, the majority of the men in the work fields at the time went off to do their duty and fight in the army for their country. Meanwhile, back at home; companies were faced with no one to work for the company since the majority of the workforce at the time was male. This is when the propaganda started. Suddenly it became OK for a women to hold a mans position. In fact, it was her duty to the greater U.S, to step up and help out. It was the mini war for the females. Now, the media glamorized the workingwoman. Whereas before, she was portrayed as poor, ugly and run down, she was now held in a different light. Pictures were posted of a strong, confidant women, going to work to support the boys off at war. Pictures like the one of Marilyn Monroe in the factory, portrayed this new lifestyle as somewhat glamorous. The role of the female changed to a now working mom, outside of the home. The importance of the home shifted for the time, and women were “allowed” to leave the home.

After the war was over, and the men began to once again fill the work field, the media immediately began stating how women should be back at home. The media would state that women, who spend too much time away from their home, were endangering their families and neglecting their husbands and their children. An article in Life magazine stated “They should use their minds in every conceivable way…so long as their primary focus of interest and activity is the home.” Media pictures showed children running rampant and hurting themselves and blamed it on the mothers who are never home, as seen in the movie,”Rosie the Riveter”. A lot of the women though, decided that they enjoyed working and although for a short time after the war was over, the women went back to the roles they were in prior to the war, the women soon began to play a different part. Such as the women’s roles began to change, so did the males role as the father.

In the 1950’s, the baby boom, formed the demographic foundation for the quickening attention to the male family role. These baby boom families, popularly associated with tradition, were harbingers of transitional family patterns. (Journal of Family History) Television bec