It’s a fantasy world of cotton candy, drive-ins and sun-dappled fun. However, the real women of the 1950s lived no such life, spending their days raising children, baking cakes, cleaning sinks and toilets and grooming themselves for their ‘hard working’ husbands. Their homes were, as feminist Betty Friedan describes in her essay ‘The Feminine Mystique’, “comfortable concentration camps”.
After working in factories and stores during the war, women were forced back into the home upon the return of veterans. Many men felt disturbed by the increased female presence in the workplace and fierce propaganda and advertising campaigns worked to persuade women to return to domestic duties as a way of showing gratitude to the brave men who risked their lives for the nation’s freedom.
Getting married straight out of high school became the norm for young women, with the average age of first marriage being 20. Only 16.5% of the female population were still single by 25 and the women who were brave enough to study at university were expected to stay there only until they found themselves a man and achieved what was joked about as a 'MRS Degree'.
It was expected that young women remained virgins until marriage, but in reality many were engaging in pre-marital sex. Those who became pregnant were considered ‘bad girls’ and were often sent away to live with relatives or taken to homes for wayward women. Check out this video gem I found which aimed to encourage hormone-crazy young lovers to save ‘going all the way’ until marriage.
Also looked down upon were divorced women, which explains why only 23% of all 1950s marriages ended in divorce compared to today’s 43%. A tiny 9% of all homes had a single occupant whereas today over a quarter of Australian adults live alone. The only jobs available to females were ‘women’s jobs’ like nursing, teaching and secretarial work. This led to many females feeling the need to stay married for financial security.
Married women’s lives revolved around their husbands and children (women generally became pregnant within seven months of marriage). Their days consisted of organising kids for school, cleaning their homes, creating a calm environment for their husbands and running many errands- all while looking immaculate in high-heeled shoes and pin curls!!!!!
Below are the tips for maintaining a happy home provided by the ‘Good Wife’s Guide’, published in the May 1955 issue of ‘Housekeeping Monthly’.
• Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
• Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
• Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
• Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dust cloth over the tables.
• During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
• Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet
• Be happy to see him.
• Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
• Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
• Don't greet him with complaints and problems.
• Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
• Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
• Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
• Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
LASTLY: A GOOD WIFE ALWAYS KNOWS HER PLACE!!!!
• Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
• Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
• Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dust cloth over the tables.
• During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
• Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet
• Be happy to see him.
• Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
• Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
• Don't greet him with complaints and problems.
• Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
• Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
• Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
• Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
LASTLY: A GOOD WIFE ALWAYS KNOWS HER PLACE!!!!
Don’t think the poor girls had much time to check out the ‘swell flicks’ at the drive-in...
Statistics:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/peopleevents/p_mrs.html
http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/usa/women1950s.htm
http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-t_s-14_u-189_t-506/social-and-cultural-features-of-the-1950s/nsw/history/australia%27s-social-and-cultural-history-in-the-post-war-period
