Issues for Women Regarding Romantic, Sexual Relationships and Marriage During the 1950s

Introduction

Concerns regarding women's position in the society is not a new outburst; it has its roots entrenched firmly on the perspective of gender equality. Gender equality has been one of the hottest topics and debate that have taken almost all the societies with electrifying assertions based on the exact role of a woman in the community (Chesler 23). Ideally, there is not any better description that can be used to disqualify the fact that women have been bitterly warding through to gain "freedom" and "independence." These are thoughts that are well exemplified in many pieces of literature that "champions for women rights". One of such kinds of literature is The Bell Jar written by American poet Sylvia Plath.

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The content of Plath's unabridged journal touches on weighty matters concerning her sexuality. The self-dramatising and exuberant college girl in thr1950 out rightly describes the latest pool of clothing within the prospect of the blind date she made at Yale (Chesler 25). One of the critical points of Plath's assertions is her vibrant sexuality. Going by claims made by Plath in the writings, the 1950s was a remarkably an era that women folks were going through "atrocious" moment and what would be called discrimination in the current state views of the masses (Chesler 28). During these times, an assertion has been made that women were more prejudged and their position was limited by the fact that they had to be "flower girls" to the men. The description of their chores tell it all; they were meant to do home duty such as bearing children, babysitting, caring for their husbands among other roles.

Self-detestation that comes from Plath's unabridged journal best describes the woman's feeling. "And yet does it not come again to the fact that the world belongs to men? For if he decides to live a promiscuous life he aesthetically lives it while still demanding a woman to express faithfulness to him". In the I the Problem That Has No Name, lamentations exuded by the writer describe the problem a woman is facing at this era as being atrocious. The first word penned on the paper theatrically alludes to the problem that has no actual name (Friedan 63) "The problem lay buried, unspoken in the minds of American women for many years". This excerpt ideally expresses dissatisfaction and yearning that women were going through in the middle of the twentieth century within the United States and across its borders. The writer goes ahead in describing the pathetic "normalcy" in the era, that despite the low moments of a woman in the society, no book, column, article, or any literature expert ever come out to document or write on their plight of women instead, the books and columns were majorly describing the role of women in seeking fulfilment as wives and mothers (Friedan 66). The experts could only tell them on "how to catch a man and keep him, breastfeeding children and toilet-train them and how to act in a more feminine manner."

Ideally, most of the expert's writings made women accept the "low" status in the society. This becomes so normal to them that they could go to the extent of pitying the neurotic, unfeminine and unhappy women who were thinking otherwise regarding their roles (Friedan 68). These are the lots who wanted to pursue poetry, physicists and even those who aspired to be presidents. All they were exposed to was the persuasive notions that feminine women would not need higher education, career, and political rights among others. As a result of such degrading opinions, the statistical wise data at the end of the 1950s indicated that the average age of marriage in America had drastically lowered to 20 and was still dropping into the teens. More surprisingly, the consequences of such treatments presented a bewildering revelation latter when over 14 million girls under the age of seventeen were engaged. Due to girls being married at a younger age, the proportion of women that were attending colleges as compared to that of men dropped from 47 percent in 1920 to about 35 percent in 1958 (Cherlin 67).

Throughout most of the pro women literature, men have been portrayed as selfish human beings who do not deserve to relate to a woman, not at least in any related matters. For instance, in Women of madness, a lady attests the dislike she had for a man even though she cannot clearly remember what the man had done to her. "I do not remember what he had done to me", this is, however, the first time a boy hurt her. Lillian went home and wore her brother's suit to "find" the feelings of being a boy (Cherlin 69). "I tried to feel as the boys felt" this was actually the zeal of being overridden by a strength that could wade away the "sufferings" Lillian's thought about "suffering" embodies the popular idea women have ever had that their sufferings" are men-generated and the remedy to this war was to throw one's self into the frail of thinking beyond men. Interestingly, it was realised that women were part of their problems, they were portrayed as sharing allegiance to their uniqueness, and for an extended period, they denied themselves the privilege and rewards of their talents.

The situation in the mid-1950s was one of the worst considering the role of a woman in the society. It remained to be seen that like many women in the earlier times, they also berried their destinies within the romantic and far extravagant marriages, in motherhood as well as in approved female pleasure. Ideally, the period marking 1950s is often viewed to have brought a lot of conformity within America (Cherlin 70). There was actual gender conformity where women were required by the society to observe the gender roles per the societal expectation. Despite the need to build a peaceful and prosperous society based on "objectification" of a woman, there arose an uproar that was directed at crippling the status quo within the placid peacetime society.

Do the women have to conform to the societal duties posed to them? This has however been one of the most significant questions asked. Ideally, the role of the women was significantly changed in the 1950s when men were coming back from the war (world war) as they take back their jobs. Before that, women had assumed men's roles and the change of characters was the controversial point (Cherlin 72). For a long time, some women had refused to religious "their" duties to assume being wives and mothers. For instance, numerous advertisements and in the T.V and magazines showed and continued to explain somewhat the defined role of a mother. These roles are and were aimed continuously at feminine concerns since women were typically the individuals buying there advertise products for the house. The adventure of Ozzie and Harriet is one of the best-set examples of how typical American ought to be (Cherlin74). While looking at this advertisement, one is left to wonder if there is a mess. Women were full of a smile with their arms fully loaded with cooked foods or sometimes women cleaning houses and looking happy and contented with their lifestyle. In essence, they were dedicated wives whose goals in life were hypothetical to meet the pleasures of their children and husbands.

In spite of the tarrying situations, women found themselves dented in, during the era of the 1950s, Plath gives out a revelation in one of her masterpieces. Considering the conservation roles of women in the society, Sylvia presents the ultraconservative air within the period that breeds individuals who are satisfied with their limited role in the male-dominated society. Plath gives a vivid description as "one who simply submits to the desires of the opposite sex" (Cherlin 72). The bell jar by Sylvia ostensibly explores numerous effects of the society's traditional standards on the promising young woman of the community as she comes of age. For instance, Plath narrates the plight of Esther Greenwood, a naive young college student who receives a message about a woman's place within the societal norms and dictates. Esther carries with her an aspiration of becoming a poet, but sensationally, Plath refers to them as efforts worth but bare no fruits for her environment is oppressive with societal prejudices such as settling down to have children and being a happy housewife and many others (Plath 45).

The writer of the Problem that has no name describes this era as one in which there was a lot of confusion among the women; some were adamantly subscribing to the fact that being a housewife is rewarding. These are some of the confessions that were attested by the same women who competed with men and hated them with passion, "we have to salute the wonderful freedom we all have and be proud of our lives today." "I have gone to college and worked, but there is nothing among them rewarding and most satisfying as being a housewife". Such is the confession of a section of women whom to them there was no problem by societal profiling and assigning motherly duties to them (Plath46). As much as this was one of the periods that women joined in the frail of "liberating" themselves from the command of men, much had to follow later, the Redbook commented "a few women would want to thumb their noses at children, husbands, as well as the entire community and go off on their own but those who were able to do so were the talented individuals, but the finding was that they rarely succeeded (Plath 50).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the year 1950 became open one of the significant periods in marking the position of a woman in the society. Several women associations championing for the right o a woman were formed, and many articles are placing a woman in her "rightful" position were documented. Women became part of elites in the society with mixed reaction from all quarters.

Work Cited

Chesler, Phyllis. Women and madness. Palgrave Macmillan, 2005.

Cherlin, Andrew J. "The deinstitutionalization of American marriage." Journal of marriage and family 66.4 (2004): 848-861.

Friedan, Betty. The feminine mystique. WW Norton & Company, 2010.

Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar. Prince Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, 1992. Internet resource.