Essay Example on Femininity: From Suffrage to Popular Culture in the 1950s

Introduction

From suffrage to media representation, the portrayals of and beliefs about femininity have significantly evolved throughout the years in American society. Indeed, along with gender roles that dominated the debates in the 1950s, individual attitudes of femininity have changed over the decades, and what the society prohibited women from doing in the past is unanimously accepted and even encouraged by their male counterparts. Before the 1950s, for example, popular culture, together with the mass media tried to advocate against the Cold War ideals of domesticity, consumer culture, as well as the traditional gender roles in the society, however, the reality that women faced during that time, in terms of rights and equality, did not always reflect these ideals (Koch, Michael, & Fulton 6.). As a matter of fact, women were not even allowed to engage in certain careers such as mathematics and engineering, which were viewed as male-dominated fields of study and work. Even more, the popular beliefs about and depiction of ideal gender roles and femininity almost always disregarded the lives of minority women and families. Ideally, although many people still hold strong beliefs about traditional gender roles and femininity, changes in the activities and portrayal of women and men in society have unquestionably occurred over the years since the 1920s.

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Women's Rights to Vote

Throughout the history of the United States, and especially during the 19th century, women were often considered as second class citizens, with no rights or equality compared to their male counterparts (Sneider 699.). They were viewed as feasible individuals and were expected to always identify primarily as wives and mothers. In fact, they had to right to work outside of the home, vote, or even own properties. However, the view about femininity quickly changed in American society with the push of the 19th Amendment. Many individuals, who included the women majority and some male sympathizes, began to discuss the overall condition of women in the American society and advocated for the best approaches for achieving political and social rights for women. By this time, many people only held seemingly functional beliefs about femininity as defined by the society, nevertheless, women's participation in World War I convinced many anti-suffrage individuals that indeed, women were deserving of equal representation. American women's suffrage movement was so organized that by 1920, the 19th Amendment was passed and the women finally had relatively equal representation and the right to vote (Sneider 699). Consequently, with this new establishment, the traditional beliefs about women quickly changed in American society as they now had the undeniable right to vote whoever they wanted.

Women and Work

Before World War I and the Great Depression, both men and women had strict gender roles, and everyone had to comply with societal expectations. Men were often viewed as the caregivers and the sole breadwinners of families. Women, on the other hand, were expected to lead domestic lives where they acted as wives and mothers. However, during the war, women began to enter the workplace by joining the industries previously reserved for men (Tilly & Scott 20). In essence, the war lasted longer than expected and many industries back at home were running out of labor force, which at the time, was made up of young children and the aging population. Women stepped in, and surprisingly enough, did a wonderful job than it was initially expected. They were now viewed by many families as the new role models and the breadwinners. Sadly after the war, women realized that the societal perception about femininity, in general, had not changed as they expected. Millions of women in America who had joined the workforce during the war, and had now become the providers of their families were quickly replaced by returning soldiers (Tilly & Scott 27). Although there was an uproar among the working women, the belief in the society was that women were to eschew any work that is outside home labor. In fact, even though majority of them wanted to keep their jobs and lead their new lives, popular culture mass media tried to convince them to give up their new professions and return back quietly to domestic lives.

When the Great Depression hit America in the 1930s, women were once again called upon to assist their families (Bakst, Dina, & Taubman 25.). With the Depression, many male workers responsible for millions of families were laid off, and their primary roles as breadwinners became obsolete. As a result, women were forced to enter the workforce in great numbers as they could find jobs that were low paying and often considered to be female's work. Such professions including secretarial roles, teaching, and housework were considerably more stable compared to jobs that men could do at the time. With time, and following the civil rights movement, many women campaigned for a greater and more permanent participation in the workplace, thus becoming approximately one-third of the peacetime labor force.

Popular Culture during the Cold War

The negative portrayals and beliefs about femininity can also be traced back to the Cold War. Essentially, women were viewed as a crucial tool in waging the war by playing their domestic role of ensuring that the family unit remains strong and intact (Forest 69). Many men believed that women could relatively be useful during the war by neglecting their careers and staying home to take care of their husbands and children. In addition, since the Cold War emerged as an antagonism between two countries with varying economic systems, women were used to promoting American patriotism through consumer culture. The United States supported capitalism which majored in transactions and the exchange of goods and services, thus women, being the main household shoppers, were encouraged to increase their shopping and consumption.

Media Portrayal of Women

When it comes to media, women have made tremendous progress. Mass media over the years have been known to play an imperative role in shaping the beliefs of men and women in society. It can promote a healthy portrayal of either masculinity or femininity among members of the society, however, on the contrary, it can hinder a positive view of the same. Over the course of American history, mass media and television have often produced discriminatory contents about women, as compared to men, always portraying them in sexist ways (Sypeck et al. 233). For this reason, many members of the public often viewed women as sex objects rather than individuals who have freedom and rights to privacy. Similarly, in terms of characterization, especially in films, women were often defined in very narrow roles. As a matter of fact, only a limited number of programs back then allowed women to appear on television as experts or main characters. Whenever they appeared on television, they were usually placed in domestic sphere, encouraging other female viewers about cleaning and housework.

In addition to the biased representation of femininity on television, women in magazines and advertising were also subjected to prejudices. Unlike men, for a lady to qualify for either magazines or advertising, they had to be skinny, young, and with elegance, as well as beauty that can meet the accepted standards. Without these standards, which can only be associated with sexism, no woman was allowed on television, hence establishing the act that images of women on television, at the time, were only tailored to fit male preferences (Sypeck et al. 233). Even more, media is often blamed for spreading the traditional view that women are less competent when it comes to sciences and mathematics. Although this belief has changed over the years due to expanding scientific knowledge, it negatively influenced competent young women and in the end, affected their abilities in certain fields.

Conclusion

Even though gender stereotype remains a problem in American society, changes in beliefs about and portrayal of femininity in the society have unquestionably occurred over the years. For instance, the view about femininity quickly changed in American society with the push of the 19th Amendment. Also, unlike previously, women began to enter the workplace are now large of American workforce. During the cold war, women were viewed as a crucial tool in waging the war by playing their domestic role of ensuring that the family unit remains strong and intact. Mass media and television often produced discriminatory content about women in the past, as compared to men, always portraying them in sexist ways.

Works Cited

Bakst, Dina, and Phoebe Taubman. "From the Great Depression to the Great Recession: Advancing women's economic security through tough economic times and beyond." Women's Rts. L. Rep. 32 (2010): 25.

Forest, Jennifer De. "Women united for the United Nations: US women advocating for collective security in the cold war." Women's History Review 14.1 (2005): 61-74.

Koch, Michael T., and Sarah A. Fulton. "In the defense of women: Gender, office holding, and national security policy in established democracies." The Journal of Politics 73.1 (2011): 1-16.

Sneider, Allison. "The new suffrage history: Voting rights in international perspective." History Compass 8.7 (2010): 692-703.

Sypeck, Mia Foley, et al. "Cultural representations of thinness in women, redux: Playboy magazine's depiction of beauty from 1979 to 1999." Body Image 3.3 (2006): 229-235.

Tilly, Louise A., and Joan W. Scott. Women, work and family. Routledge, 2016.