A Study Of American Women’s Family Life In 1940s And 1950s

This paper mainly studies the changes of American women’s family life style in the1940 s and 1950 s,explores the causes and effects of the changes,and constructs the overall framework of American women’s family life in this period.Based on the theory of family sociology,this paper deconstructs American women’s family life history from four aspects: marriage and family form,family economic life,family lifestyle and parenting education environment,and analyzes the significant differences between the two sexes in the public and private fields from the perspective of gender division.This paper also uses the method of comparative study,based on the changes of American women’s family life in wartime and postwar,to clarify the development of American women’s family life history.This paper is divided into three parts.The first part discusses the changes of American women’s family life before and after World War II.In the form of marriage and family,the marriage rate and fertility rate of American women increased significantly in the 1940 s and 1950 s,and the independent nuclear family model further developed;In the aspect of family economic life,the economic level of American families improved significantly after the war,and the suburban consumerism lifestyle shaped women’s gender roles;In terms of family life style,there is a positive relationship between housework and gender division of labor.The leisure life of housewives has been substantially improved,but the homogeneity and isolation of suburban life also exist;In terms of parenting education environment,after the World War II,the parenting environment was improved.Women were influenced by social educators and realized the importance of family education environment for children’s development.The concept of family parent-child education was strengthened.In this period,the life of American housewives was coexistence of happiness and depression.In addition,professional women chose to subsidize the family or pursue their own independent value.They jointly constructed the image of American women’s family life in this period.The second part analyzes American women’s family life from the perspectives of industrialization,urbanization and the changes of social values after the war.From the perspective of industrialization and urbanization,the gender division of labor in the process of industrialization in the United States hinders women’s employment.The development of suburbanization in cities leads to the gradual separation of the private and public spheres in spatial distribution,so American women are bound in the private sphere.With the deepening of commodity industrialization and the wide spread of consumerism culture,the material needs and quality of life of American women’s suburban leisure life are guaranteed.From the perspective of values,the ideology of traditional family ideal is based on the group anxiety caused by the rise of conservatism in the Cold War era.This desire for the stability of family life is reflected in the positioning of women’s social roles.Therefore,most of the media and marriage counselors advocate a happy life as a housewife,ignoring women’s career demands in the public sphere and housework pressure in the private sphere.However,some media attach importance to women’s personal achievements and social values.During this period,the mass media itself had uncertainty in the dissemination of family ideology and gender role content.The third part discusses the influence of American women’s family life in the 1940 s and 1950 s.From the perspective of the impact on female groups,the marriage life has affected the employment of American women in the public sphere,and the family life in the private sphere has not reached the expectation of "happy Housewives" advocated by the society to a certain extent.The unequal division of labor between the sexes based on physiological differences leads to the low level of integration between American women and society,which makes it impossible to eliminate the pressure within the family and affects the physical and mental health of American women.Therefore,the implicit development of Feminism under the oppression of gender laid a theoretical foundation for the feminist movement in the 1960 s and 1970 s.From the perspective of social impact,marriage and family life promoted the consumption level of American women after World War II and had a positive impact on the commercial development mode of American suburbs.At the same time,the unequal distribution of power between husband and wife in the private sector further solidifies the gender division model in American society,and it is difficult to break it.This paper holds that the 1940 s and 1950 s are a conservative era for American women,which seems to be following the masses.Most American women have no access to the public sphere and can not realize their own independent value.Under this kind of social structural regulation,women are forced to give up their career choice,which is actually a shackle for women.This kind of containment becomes the internal supporting factor of the integration of division of labor according to gender in the nuclear family.The first wave of feminism won some power for women in education,occupation and politics,but the retrogression of social values of women’s return to family after the war was almost completed in an instant,which is a retrogression of the times;At the same time,women’s exclusion from the mainstream society in the United States will inevitably lead to new conflicts,which are also a driving force for social progress.The awareness of gender equality of American women will be further awakened,laying the foundation for the second feminist movement in the United States.