The 1950s were quite a time for Americans. This era gave us post World War 2, the beginning of the Cold War, and movements/marches for civil rights/equality for all. With men coming home from the war, the rate for marriages boosted, and with the marriages came the housewives. During this time, it was very common for women to quit their jobs and stay home to take care of their families. Raising children while the man goes and works was probably not the ideal life for most women, but it's what their life became. Now of course some women did want this life and chose to stay home, and that's great for them. However, for the women that had aspirations and goals, this lifestyle was not their peak.
In current times, a lot more women are actually graduating college and working fulltime jobs. Because of the "housewife" role women took in the 50s era, though, they weren't able to extend their education/jobs. A great example of a woman who reversed the roles in this time is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. While she went to law school, her husband stayed home and cared for their children. Now, most people are able to pay for a babysitter while the parent(s) go to work. But even with the steady increase of women working, there are still some that choose to stay home. I've seen articles about women "redifining" what it means to be a housewife in 2020, meaning they're doing it because they WANT to, not because they're FORCED to.
The problem that the infamously iconic role of the "1950s housewife" creates is unnecessary gender roles for both men and women. Because housewives were and still slightly are so common, people automatically assign certain jobs for men and women without even realizing they're doing it. Most times, it's simply just unintentional because these roles are engraved in our heads, but other times it's completely on purpose and misogynistic. For example, someone could quickly guess that a specific doctor is male because they inheritely are. 64% of doctors are men. Now just because these are the statistics, doesn't mean you should just automatically assume, but it would make sense if you were to quickly cut to that chase. However, many sexist jokes like "women belong in the kitchen" are on purpose, and they align with the history of housewives. Saying something like that degrades women, and creates the idea that women are inferior to men. There used to be a time when women were only seen important for creating babies, cooking, and caring for families. Now a woman can comfortably be a stay at home mom without feeling less than the men that surround her. So of course, we as a society has made huge steps for destroying sexism/misogyny, but there will always be someone who thinks they're funny when they're really not.
Do you think housewives helped kickstart common misogyny? Do you think making jokes about women is sexist?
(Misogyny: A hatred for women. One-sided sexism.)
Replies
You contiue to impress me with your topic choices and writing skills Corinna. Awesome job!!
I agree that women can do more than just be a housewife. They can go out anf get there education if they chose to. It is easy to assume that most women are stay at home moms but no all are. People should not joke about it because someone could take it seriously.
I cagree that women are capable of doing anything a man could do. There are still some people that think otherwise, but for the most part, thankfully, most people have realized that that statement is true. Back then, however, no one would've let a woman even prove that she was capable.
I have heard many jokes and stuff like that about women, some people do get very offended by that, as it can be seen as sexist for sure. I don't like to hear the jokes, but they do not bother me that much. I think that it could have kickstarted common misogyny because it can be viewed as sexist.
I agree with you. I don't hear the jokes often, but the ones I do hear that are worse than others jusy rub me the wrong way. I hope eventually people will push past the misogynistic barriers that have been put up for centuries. Housewives were certaintly sexist back in time, not as much aymore, but they could be.
I could see how it could lead to them to not be looked at as not being a breadwinner in the family, and could be looked down upon. I agree that women can do more than just be a housewife they can easily do as much or even more as their male counterparts and I do believe that making jokes like that could easily be viewed as sexist.
i totally agree with you. It's just funny to me at thispoint how there are still people that try to say women aren't capable of some things or that they are inferior. It's such an outdated belief that has been proven wrong time and time again. I hope the really bad jokes will stop eventually.
I agree with you. Women were both seen as incapable of succeeding in most jobs and were also discouraged by everyone to attempt at those jobs. Women were looked down upon for having similar power in their relationships to men. This led to the whole view on family being centered around women being at home, creating an subconcious idea that women couldn't work outside of the house. Because many people had a bias (concious or not) against women, they continued to be discouraged to work; then the cycle continues. It took decades to break out of this model, and it still exists for a number of people.
Exactly. Misogyny took over in the past and it took a long time to get out of the normalized sexism. While it's not as bad in current times, it still exists. Everything has history, and this idea that people had about women created a life that really only benefited men.
I don't see how being a housewife would have led to the hatred of women. I also don't see how this led to misogyny. If someone does the job well it really doesn't matter if it is a man or a woman. I don’t think that making jokes about women is sexist, if who can’t take a joke then your probably over sensitive.
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