1 / 14

The “Other” 1950s: Single Women, Sexuality, & Unwed Mothers

The “Other” 1950s: Single Women, Sexuality, & Unwed Mothers. I. 1950s Marriage Mania. By 1951 = 69% of all US women are married 1 in 3 wed by 19 By 1957 = 14 million girls engaged by 17. Single Women in the 1950s. “Lone Female” studied by writers & psychiatrists

kemp
Télécharger la présentation

The “Other” 1950s: Single Women, Sexuality, & Unwed Mothers

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The “Other” 1950s: Single Women, Sexuality, & Unwed Mothers

  2. I. 1950s Marriage Mania • By 1951 = 69% of all US women are married • 1 in 3 wed by 19 • By 1957 = 14 million girls engaged by 17

  3. Single Women in the 1950s • “Lone Female” studied by writers & psychiatrists • Hostility & suspicion directed towards single women & working women • 1955 = Over 300 pro-marriage books published for women

  4. Home Economics Textbook, 1956 • Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal—on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home! • Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Have them properly dressed to give their greetings. • Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow…speak in a low soothing and pleasant voice.

  5. Beauty Standards • Products marketed to “keep your husband” • 1956 = Average weight for women is 15 pounds lighter than 1926 average weight • 1956 = $1.3 billion spent on cosmetics, $660 million on beauty treatments, $400 million on soap and electric grooming, $65 million on “reducing”

  6. Urban Hotels for Single Women • High rise, all-girl hotels & boarding houses • NYC’s Barbizon Hotel for Women used by movie stars Grace Kelly, Liza Minnelli, writers Gael Greene, Sylvia Plath • Gael Greene, New York Post, 1958, claimed hotels evoked fears of spinsterhood

  7. Portrayals of Single Women in Media • Portrayed as Unfulfilled background characters • Doris Day: Working Single Women in films emphasized double standards about dating & sex • Etiquette Books taught girls how to avoid sex

  8. II. Single Pregnancy: Abortion, Adoption, & Race • 1944 – 1955 = 80% increase in # of white babies up for adoption • All abortion illegal in 1950s: 800 – 1,000 women died each year • Hospital abortion committee required 2 letters diagnosing a woman as psychologically impaired • Options = Quick marriage, illegal/unsafe abortion, “Home for Wayward Girls” before adoption • Race determined options of a single mother

  9. III. Sexuality in the 1950s • Dr. Alfred Kinsey’s Studies on Sex in Marriage, 1948 & 1953 • Surveys uncovered pre-marital sex, masturbation, affairs, & homosexuality • Attitudes towards marital sex no longer about procreation • Promoted female sexuality as normal

  10. Giving Birth in the 1950s • Ob/Gyn almost always male • No lamaze, few midwives • Women had little knowledge of anesthesia, c-sections, hysterectomies • Ob/Gyns hostile to breastfeeding; 25% breastfeed from 1940 - 1970

  11. Unhappiness of 1950s Housewives • 51 – 56 hours of weekly housekeeping (unpaid labor) • Alcoholism, domestic violence ignored by police • “Mother’s Little Helper” used for housework • 1/4 - 1/3 of couples married in 1950s would eventually divorce • Strict gender roles pressured women to stay out of the workforce

  12. The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan, 1963 • Exposed the plight of housewives, “The Problem With No Name” • Sold more than 1 million copies • Re-launched Feminist movement

More Related