Masculinity In The 1950's

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Pages: 2

The Second World War created an opportunity for men whose “self-confidence” had been lambasted by the economic downturn of the 1930s, and could now bravely “risk their lives” and hold true to the most traditional forms of proving masculinity or simply “provide the armed forces” the weapons needed for the war through creation or factory work. All patriotic and thus accepted forms of male actions, methods of proving masculinity proved easy to gain, though other men seemingly saw entering the war a simply “fulfillment of their manly responsibilities,” actions necessary to continue the norms of their society. American victory left then only the expectation of creating families and other forms of proof of economic success left for men to gain. …show more content…
A point of pride for men in the decade to be so wealthy and accomplished that their wives need not work, yet such apparent freedom from work also secluded women into the home, laying the foundation for “destroying a women’s sense of self.” In reality, in the 1950s women could and did work, but often it was only socially acceptable under certain circumstances, such as if “plenty of jobs” remained available for men or if her work was not “traditionally considered men’s,” and most importantly she must also continue any “traditional domestic duties” that she was obligated to. Any women working outside the domestic sphere implicitly was told by society that such work was of lesser importance than her role within the family. This societal view, the refusal of a majority of Americans to acknowledge the increasing “expression of womanliness through wage labor,” was denial of a truth that would become blatant with the arrival of the 1960s. However, appearances needed to be kept, both with society at large and to individual gendered