1. How accurate was the stereo type of women in the 1950’s? By Jessica Gagnon

2. The 50’s  Dwight D. Eisenhower was president  Vietnam war  Rock ‘n’ Roll  Civil Rights Movement

3. Stereotype  Traditional stay at home wife  Cooks, cleans, takes care of family  Didn’t have sex before marriage  Got married as soon as possible  Very obedient  Believed to love the domestic homemaker lifestyle

4. Stereotype cont.  Had lots of children  Women who worked when they could afford not to were considered selfish for not putting all energy into the family

5. American Media  Supported stereotype  Portrayed women as fragile and very feminine  Pictures as propaganda  Used TV I Love Lucy Showed how women were supposed to look

6. American Schools  Supported stereotype  Taught home making skills in school A hot iron should be used when pressing:  A silk slip  A woolen sweater  A linen skirt  A crepe dress  Women went to college to get M.R.S. Degree Not for career purposes, for home

7. Working Women  Started being taken serious as workers during WWII  Worked in factories and worked in military Built parts, flew planes, and worked as nurses  More than 300,000 women worked in aircraft industry alone  When men came back from war some women stopped working but many tried to continue  29%of women worked  15% were married

8. Segregating Women  One way of trying to force women back to home work  Different jobs  Different pay  Sexual harassment

9. NOW  National Organization for Women  Fought the stereotype and its limits through the law  Tried to pass reforms for equality in work place  Believed it would make working easier for women and shine light on true abilities  Did a survey of workers in factories “Survey of 146 executives revealed that the productivity levels of women workers was equal to or greater than those of male workers engaged in similar work.”

10. Conclusion  Women fought for equality in work places and in the courts  Proved their abilities to work along side men  Stereotype applied to some women but a large majority of women were not at home being a “good wife.” They were out in the world fighting for their right to work.

11. Citation  Neumann, Caryn E. "National Organization for Women." Postwar America. Sharpe Online Reference (2010): n. pag. Web. 27 May. 2010.  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/peopleevents/p_mrs.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/peopleevents/p_mrs.html  Barker, Jenny. "Women's Studies." Postwar America. Sharpe Online Reference (2010): n. pag. Web. 10 Jun. 2010.