The Ideal Woman In The 1950's

U.S History 1865 to present

Compare and contrast the image of the ideal woman in the 1890s and 1950s. In which era did women have more freedom? How so?

There were many similarities as well as differences between the women of the 1890s and the women of the 1950s. Both eras of women had similar household duties and responsibilities, along with some differences as well. Their duties in the work area however were different. The women in the 1950s were expected to be perfect in every way, and every family wanted that ideal women in their home at that time, “the perfect housewife.” In the 1890s, women were put to work in the work force like men. They were put in factories and were used for cheap labor. This means that these women would work hard labor jobs for cheap pay, wages well under what the normal paying hard labor job should be paying. If this was a man that was doing this hard manual labor job, they would probably be getting paid a lot more than what these women were being paid. This was disrespectful to these women, and the level of disrespect that these women received and be of great comparison to the women of the 1950s. The women of the 1950s were expected to cook, clean, and take care of the house while their husbands were at work. Their husbands
If someone were to have to choose a side that had more freedom, it would probably be the women of the 1890s. The women of the 1950s were just so restricted from doing anything. The perfect mother was to stay home and nurture their children in order for society to accept them. These women were also only considered good wives if they carried out every one of their husbands orders and agreed with them on everything. They were being both physically abused and emotionally abused. They had no freedom at all. They were told what to do and how to do it by their husbands and men in the community, and could never do any of the things that men could