The Effect Of The Cold War On American Women

In the early 1950s, the Cold War contributed heavily to a change in American society and women’s roles. No longer were the women across the United States confined to a household. Suddenly, being a woman had a completely different meaning than what it had previously. When World War II began, women on the Home Front worked in defense plants and volunteered for war-related organizations, in addition to managing their households. Once World War II ended, women were getting laid off from their jobs due to men coming back from the war. They did not want to return back to their housekeeping jobs because women were now strong and independent individuals who wanted respect and equality; however, majority of women did. Considering that these sources display the inequality women faced in comparison to men during the Cold War, changes in America throughout this period were detrimental to the society as a whole.
Housekeeping magazine generally features tips, recipes, and personal stories. The January of 1956 issue featured a hiring managers tips for wives. He expresses that a boss’s decision to hire a husband depends on the boss’s opinion on the man’s wife because the wife is a main factor in the husband’s success in his career. He lists qualities of women that impress bosses the most. He states that wives should be friendly, a part of her community, and interested in her husband, home, and her children. In addition, he describes the main types of women that bosses are not looking for. The responsibility placed on women in the hiring of their husband portrays the demanding expectation of women. Overall, this obligation uncovers the inequality of women and its detrimental effect on women and even their