I think that during the Cold War era and the Atomic bomb took women in the home to a whole new level. The "Lucille Ball" of housewives hit there peak during this time. Yes, women held the roles of wife, mother, and homemaker before, however, at the time of the atomic bomb women were sent home expected to step up there game. Women were a new class of soldier on the homefront. The reading hits upon how women could not have a dusty household because having a dusty home means that atomic debree could get in and hurt the family. The FCDA depicted the house work to be serious and professional jobs entrusted only to women because they "knew" the home and how it worked. The chief of the FCDA claimed, "failure to incorporate civil defense into the household would be like a "fifth column" action which undermines our national defense". Which is why women were required to make the fall out shelter a home not just a place to exist until the bomb threat was over. Women were in charge of keeping panic to a minimum and family under control while the men are out "saving" everyone and working.
Which leads me to my next point and how men are seen as this protector and "bring home the bacon" kind of morale. While leaving women completely understated. At one point the article brings up how a widow is basically done for because she has no man to build her and her family a fallout shelter or provide food and nourishment to the family.
Even more inferiorating is women did rise to have some power. Yes, "power" to which was limited by a mans every whim. Katherine Howard was the deputy administrator of the FCDA and the first woman in any federal agency to become second in command. This is a great accomplishment and took a lot of integrity, I agree. However, her role was to deliver speeches, appear on radio shows, hold press conferences and worked as a liaison to Congress. She sent messages that explained how strong woman were and took on the female perspective. All well and good except her speeches and many appearences were all written for her. If you think about it the military/government used her appearance to appease woman and children around the country. She was not used for her knowledge or capabilities but used as "mascot" as the reading points out. How did woman not see how they were being underhanded. The reading says that men are bestowed by God to take care of everything, "We, gentlemen, are one half of the human race. We were put into this world to brood and nurture, train and protect humanity. That is a function given us by nature and by God." Basically, women were being placed aside to look pretty and keep home. And Howard was just a woman who kept woman in their place. I don't whether she did it knowingly or not but her job was to make sure women know how important it is not to keep a dusty home and make sure that the fall out shelters are nice a pretty to live in. The whole film and reading depicts the separation of gender roles in an immense way. Men=work. Women= clean. I believe this where the woman as the homemaker and man as the provider really solidified itself.
I have to disagree with your concluding statement that these traditional gender roles were solidified during the atomic age. The concept of women's domestic duty being a duty to her nation was one that went back to Spartan warrior culture. I also think that the enforcement of these gender roles were political. Keep in mind there was this notion that the "Commies" put everyone to work and broke apart the family, much like the effect of 19th-century industrialization in the U.S. By spreading this message of traditional gender roles, government officials probably thought they could enforce family values and prevent the spread of Communist ideals. In response to your question of how women could not see themselves as being "underhanded", I think they internalized and believed in these traditional roles and also must have viewed Katherine Howard as being a woman like them, and in a place of power but in a way that was nonthreatening to social expectations.I believe this was actually the end of the reign of these traditional roles, primarily because of how much of a threat was assessed from the "antiwar mother" and "bombshell" figures, which were signs of female political involvement and dissent as well as dominant sexual power.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Alexandra myself. Womanly domestic duties of homemaker and so forth was the role of women until the middle 1900's and it wasn't something that was forced upon instead of being a type of life that people only new. Men did buy the bacon and protect and women stayed in the kitchen... to think about such things now is quite nauseating but that just how life was. So as far as the women being considered "underhanded" which to us they were, but back them thats just how the cookie crumbled. I do semi agree with your position on your position on having speeches written by men in the way that it does seem to be so due to the fact that she is a woman and she is only being used to appease other women, but at the same time I keep thinking about the fact that almost every public figure has their speeches written for them, even Obama - so that is kinda if-ie to me.
ReplyDeleteActually, life was complicated back then, as always, and there's a difference between ideology and reality. TV and movies didn't entirely reflect the reality of life. Lots of women worked outside the home, even then, for example.
ReplyDeleteI really like your focus on women here, Tiffany--though I'm not sure Lucille Ball is the best example of a conforming 50s housewife. She's actually pretty rebellious, and there's that small matter of interracial marriage, which made her actually fairly unusual.
What pressures do you think were brought to bear on men in prescribed cold war gender roles? What if, for example, you weren't all that great at 'bringing home the bacon'?