The role of women in the American society in the

1960~1950
Introduction
Before the 1950's, social changes were made in response to difficult conditions (World
War II), when the war was over, American soldiers returned and started to found families
and American society culture was based on the family. Social organization relied on the
traditional notions of the male and female role in the family, a model that was based on
stereotypes.
During the 50's and the 60's women role had changed: during the war, millions of
women had returned to work, they discovered they were able to carry out the "men's
work". In order to convince them to return to their role of housewives, the government
launched campaigns on television and on the radio.
After the war marriage was the main goal for girls, family was their major aspiration, and
their whole existence revolved around being the "perfect" housewife.
Women had to obey to their man's orders, and could not express their opinions. One
reason for that is their lack of knowledge. Most women married after high school and
those who chose to study were not taught mathematics and science but home
economics and cooking.
Little by little women felt their life wasnt complete. They understood they were not
happy, and therefore they begun to fight for a new female ideal.
This is why I chose to write about this subject. The idea that women, including me, can
choose between a family life and professional life or both today should not be taken for
granted. Women had to fight for their rights, and I wish to learn more about their
feelings and struggles that lead them to achieve women rights.
In addition, reading "All My Sons" by Arthur Miller made me think about the female

characters in the play. The play was written in 1947 and demonstrates how the American
society was after World War II, a clear example for the role of women in that era.
From one point of view, it seems to me that the play doesn't reflect what I have written
above. Miller didnt spare in female characters: Kate Keller, Ann Deever, Lydia Lubey,
and Sue Bayliss, and that may imply women didn't have lower status than man as
suggested above. Kate is called "mother" in the play described as "a woman of
uncontrolled inspiration and an overwhelming capacity for love", she holds her family
together, she sees meanings in things other can't see, and controls other characters.
From different point of view, we can see the American society as patriarchal. Kate is not
called "Kate" but "mother" which can imply she had to devote her life for her family, her
life sums up in satisfying the needs of those around her.
The play made me raise some questions: Is "all my sons" considered a feminist play in
the year it was written? Or All My Sons didnt affect the society but was affected by the
society when it was written.

Women during and after WW II

When the United States entered World War II war production had to be increased
dramatically in a short period of time. At first, companies did not think that there would
be labor shortage, so they did not take the idea of hiring women seriously. But later
women were needed because most of the men were leaving for the service.
When women started working at traditionally male jobs, the biggest problem was
changing men's attitudes: they were suspicious of women. As time went on, the
attitudes changed and employers praised them, but the prewar image of women as
wives and mothers by no means disappeared. Mainstream society accepted temporary
changes, but considered them undesirable on a permanent
basis. The public reminded women that their greatest asset
was their ability to take care of their homes and that career
women would not find a husband.
One of the ways the government lured women into working
was launching campaigns: they promoted the fictional
character of "Rosie the Riveter" as the ideal woman working, a
symbol of feminism and women's economic power to those
days. More than 310,000 women worked in the U.S aircraft industry, and women's
employment increased during the war from about 5.1 million in 1939 (26%) to just over
7.25 million in 1943.

Many of them refused to leave this professional life and in response to this
phenomenon the government launched a campaigns to convince them to return to
their role of housewives. According to them, the patriotic duty of women was to give
man their place back in the professional world. Some women felt the government was
going too far when they started to promote the idea that women should be happy
washing dished, preparing meals, cleaning the house and to be the "ideal women".
The ads also represent every one of the tasks a housewife is supposed to accomplish,
also made them feel like they had to compete with one another. The huge task of
keeping the entire house tidy discourages women from performing any other work.
In addition, they also showed that women, as a full time housewives, were expected to
be full- time servants for their husbands Seventeen magazine started educating its
readers since their early

age.

Ads which demonstrates what women were expected to do and the typical
housewife appearance. Note their happy faces.

In an article named How to be a woman, the Seventeen magazine confirms that

being a woman is your career and you cant escape it and that there is no office, lab,

or stage that offers so many creative avenues or executive opportunities as that

everyday place, the home What profession offers the daily joy of turning out a
delicious dinner, of converting a few yards of fabric, a pot of paint, and imagination into
a new room? Of seeing a tired and unsure man at the end of a working day become a
rested lord of his manor?
With images like these flooding magazines, it became clear how quickly women
understood their serving role in marriage, and part of their job was to always make their
husbands happy.
However, a great deal of women of the lower classes returned to work as soon as the
children started school, some were working as volunteers to open libraries in poor
school districts, to make people conscious about the danger of nuclear bombs, to
organize museum visits for school classes and many joined the civil rights movement.
Women who worked out of the house were considered "masculinized", as someone who
did not want a family life and who had chosen her career instead of being what "real"
women are: housewives.

One can argue that tasks of housewives were necessary for the functioning of the family
unit, but still these tasks often restricted women's creativity, and slowly a bitter feeling
was beginning to be felt be American women: they understood they were not happy.

Women in All My Sons

In order to understand the role of women in the play, I will focus on Ann, Kate and Sue.
Kate Keller- is a woman in her early 50's, a woman who has uncontrollable inspirations,
and has a never ending love. During the play, it seems like she pays a lot of efforts in
order to keep her family from falling apart:
She doesn't believe Larry is dead, she dreams about him and tries to convince everyone
else.
As a wife, Kate is also loving and devoted to her husband though dominating in many
ways. For example, Keller, once said to George laughingly that his wife beats him with
his own belt when he is supposed to be the first authority at home.
From the very beginning she knows about her husband's guilt in shipping the cracked
cylinder heads. Yet, she does not threaten to tell his secret, and that may be because
she tries to keep her family good reputation in the neighborhood.
Thus, my opinions remained unclarified about the way she present the role of women in
society. The fact she controls every other character doesn't necessarily says she presents
a strong women; she isn't loved by others for her hard working personality (like her
husband, Joe), not because of her firm opinions (like Chris) but because she fulfill the
role of the loving- warm women that appeals to everyone.
She flatters to Ann- "Annie, where did you get that dress!" and later on:"Ann can't stop

staring at her. Mother breaks it by speaking with the relish of gossip, putting her arm
around Ann and walking with her"
Being a good hostess- "On seeing George she raises both hands, comes down toward

him" and later on remarks:"If he ate in my house he'd have an appetite. (To Ann): I
pity your husband!"
During the play, Mother gives her missing son the central place in her life. She even says

"If he's not coming back, then I'll kill myself!" but later on we find out she denied the

fact her husband caused the death of 21 pilots for long time, and even helped him hide
it. That raise some questions about what she consider to be "moral".
AnnThought Ann is described as the female version of Chris- Idealist, and Jim comments on
her personality: "She looks very intelligent!" the other characters dont flatter her for her
personality, but rather for her appearance:
Mother-"Isn't she the most-? It's gorgeous, simply gor-"
Keller-"Look how nice her legs turned out!" "I like that girl. Wrap her up. You got nice

legs Annie!"
Ann: "It's always a problem getting yourself married, isn't it?" Sue: "That depends on

your shape, of course. I dont see why you should have had a problem. "
later on Chris says to Ann-"Oh Annie, AnnieI'm going to make a fortune for you!"
Remark that demonstrate the family structure he sees as ideal- the breadwinner model1.
Finally, Arthur Miller attempts to portray Ann as Idealist failed at the end, when she
insists on marrying Chris. He says:" I'm going away, I'm going now" (after he found out
his father caused the death of 21 pilots ).Ann-"I'm coming with you I dont ask you

to do anything about Joe"

Ann chooses her urge to get married and not protecting her father, although she had
found out he is not completely guilty. She has a superficial way of thinking.
Maybe Arthur Miller used Sue in order criticize the American society.
Sue was a nurse and she supported Jim while he was an intern, unlike the other
characters. That negatively affected their relationship: "And that was bad, because as

soon as a woman supports a man he owes her something. You can never owe
somebody without resenting them. "She thinks Jim resents her because he was
depended on her, unlike what was consider to be normal: the woman is depended on
her man. Later on, she criticizes the marriage Institution: "When you take up

housekeeping, try to find a place " as if it is obvious Ann becomes a housekeeper after

Breadwinner model is a member of a family who earns the money to support the others. The
breadwinner is usually a heterosexual male. the model is based on patriarchical norms.(Wikipedia)

she would marry Chris. She is sarcastic, bitter and materialistic, in contrary to Ann and
Mother that try to please everyone else.

Conclusion + Reflection
In conclusion, I believe Arthur Miller was affected by the society when he had written the
play. Some gender stereotypes has remained deeply ingrained in the play;
-Women worked after WW II, and so is Ann (though it is stereotypical she had spent
three week's salary on her dress) and Sue who has been working as a nurse.
-Women wanted to get married after the war, like Ann, that flew from New York in order
to marry Chris.
In addition, Miller criticizes the society. Sue is a bitter women, mother is often suffers
from headaches and not described very happy. How could it be when both of them
have house, husband, a child they love and nature?
Ann is not yet married, and she thinks marriage will turn her happy. (Chris tells her:
"Annie we are going to live now! I'm going to make you so happy".)
By learning the role of women in society during and after the war, I could have
examined All My Sons from different point of view.
I reached the conclusion that during World War II there was a change in the image of
women, but it was only superficial and temporary. The reality was that most women
returned to being homemakers. Men attitude to women didnt change- they still
admired their appearance and not their personality.
By looking the photos of women during the war and after, I understood how the media
affected the society. During the war many women were given more respect- they look
tough, they contribute to society.
After the war they look grotesque, their faces were covered with fake happiness and
their bodies were covered with absurd clothing.

Bibliography
A Woman's Role in the 1950shttp://voices.yahoo.com/a-womans-role-1950s-10246.html?cat=41
The Popularized Housewife in Advertisements by Michael Naughton
http://www.andover.edu/academics/bracecenterforgenderstudies/documents/housewife
_in_advertisements.pdf
The 1950s and 1960s and the American Woman: the transition from the housewife to
the feminist- Vanessa Martins Lamb
http://dumas.ccsd.cnrs.fr/docs/00/68/08/21/PDF/V_Martins_Lamb_-_Civi_2011.pdf
Rosie the Riveter: Women Working During World War II
http://www.nps.gov/pwro/collection/website/rosie.htm
Pictures were taken from:
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/09/world-war-ii-women-at-war/100145/