How did Television Sitcoms Change Gender Roles?

 

How did television sitcoms change gender roles from late 50s to 60s?

Television started to become a popular piece of entertainment for the family in the 50s. Television was one of the most important entertainment forms of device that entertained the family at home rather than going out[1]. As television got popular over the years, more and more people started to buy them for their house. Television took the place for piano, radio and phonograph[2]. Television was placed in the center of the family, where they would spend family time watching news to sitcoms. Television was the great family entertainer that brought mom, dad, and the kids together; while portraying different gender roles and social functions in a society[3]. Sitcoms in 1950s portrayed of having a perfect family, husband was the bread winner and the women was the house wife. Women were often showed in sitcoms as the family care of the family and also not expected to have a job. Sitcoms played a major role in the American society and played a biggest influence role on women throughout the years .1960s was the era where the perfect family construct was changed, where both men and women were shown of having jobs in sitcoms, which was different from 1950s. There was a big shift in the sitcoms, once it was shown to have a perfect family of one male worker in the family to showing both gender having a job. Television and sitcoms played a huge role into shaping up the future of the society.

The American suburb was growing postwar era, a nuclear family was a basic social construct [4]. Sitcoms such as father knows best and leave it to beaver showed a perfect nuclear family construct. A women’s job was to stay at home, take care of the family, cook, and make husband happy. In an episode from I love Lucy; Lucy was portrayed to follow her husband’s commands. “Where the man is the master, and the woman does what she’s told” (equal rights).  Usually women had to be obedient to their husbands, respect their opinion and always agree with their opinion.  Most of the sitcoms would show women at home taking care of the house instead of pursuing a career. “A woman’s place is in home” (leave it to beaver, Beaver’s house guest).  Sitcoms such as father knows best, Jane the mother, was always at home taking care of the children, cleaning, and making food; While the man had a different role “A husband was the bread winner of the family[5]. In an episode from Father knows best, a young engineer had the ideal family vision of a hardworking man that worked hard all day that would come home to pretty wife. “So when the day is over he can come home to some nice pretty wife” (Betty, Girl Engineer).  There are many things that sitcoms portrayed about a suburban culture from Father knows best, I love Lucy, and Leave it to beaver that showed predominantly common gender role, where the husband was the bread winner and women was the home wife.

Sitcom such as father knows the best played a perfect nuclear family that Americans dreamed of having. Jim played the role of the husband. He came home after work every day expecting dinner and the house to be clean. Since the men were the money provider for the family, they realized that supporting the family was hard at times. For example: in an episode Jim told the family “Time has come for us to tighten our bills” (The Mink Coat). This shows that Jim was the only money provider for the whole family, while the rest of the family did not know how to control their expenses. It got harder for Jim to balance the checks, since he was the only money provider for the house. In a way, Jim as a husband and father has to make his family happy but since he is the only worker of the family, sitcoms showed that man would work hard all day and come home to nice family, which was a stress reliever. While women on sitcoms had a different thinking that earning money was same as working in the home. Lucy’s character was mainly showed as naïve, dumb, and careless with money. For example, in I love Lucy “what’s so tough about earning a living” (Job Switching). Lucy thought that earning money was not hard, and it could be done by women as well. Sitcoms often showed that women were not mature when it came to money decision and work, while on the other had men were shown to be the mature responsible earner of the family.

Sitcoms often showed women only doing the house work. They were not shown intelligent and were not encouraged to pursue any career.  For example: In an episode from fathers knows best in which betty signed up as wanting to be an engineer, one of betty’s guy friend said “but you’re a girl” (Betty, Girl Engineer) referring it to how men thought girls were not capable to do jobs like men. Even mothers would train their daughters to do house work and be a good wife. “You’re joking” (Betty, an engineer) Jane, mother of Betty took it as a joke that Betty was going to be an engineer. Sitcoms often showed that women were not expected to do big things in life such as work and earn a living. In an episode from I love Lucy, Ricky said “Anybody can cook and do house work” (Job Switching). Ricky the husband works in the kitchen and Lucy works in a chocolate factory. It showed in the episode how it was miserable for both the man and women to struggle for job switching. It referenced that women were better in the kitchen and man were better at earning a living. Sitcoms also showed that women were shown non intelligent even if they were working in a chocolate factory.

In 1960s, there was a change in sitcoms, where women were not always shown working in the kitchen but they held some type of job on the side. Shows such as That Girl played an important role in the 1960s showing women were more than capable to work and handle house work. Ann was portrayed as a strong woman who is focused on her career. “You got the job” (Help Wanted) it was when Ann got a job as a secretary job. It was an important scene because it showed the viewers that women should advance in their careers instead of being a full time house wife.  Ann was a main character in the show, where she was portrayed as a hard working woman. Shows like That Girl, made women realize that they can be more independent. Sitcom such as That Girl tried to show that women should pursue their career instead of being rushed to their marriage and raising a family.

Finally, Television played an important role in social life and gender life. Television transitioned the whole idea of gender roles. 1950s was a period of time where nuclear family was known as the dream family. In 1950s, men were the bread winner of the family and the women were the home taker of the house. The idea of nuclear family started to transition as time progressed. 1960s had a revolutionary change in sitcoms, women were shown having a job and taking care of the family, but before it was different where they were not shown to be working. Father knows best, I love Lucy, and Leave it to beaver showed how a typical family construct and showed the gender responsibility. Shows like that girl started to change the idea of a dream family and men and women were shown to be equal.

Bibliography

Primary sources:

Father Knows the best. Betty, Girl Engineer April 11, 1956. Television

Father Knows the best. The Mink Coat. April 11, 1956. Television

Leave it to beaver, Beaver’s house guest. October 8, 1960. Television

I love Lucy, job switching. September 15, 1952. Television

I love Lucy, Equal Rights. October 26,1953. Television

That girl, help wanted. October 20, 1966. Television

Second Sources:

Bogart, Leo. The Age of Television. 3rd ed., New York: Ungar, 1972.

Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1992. Print.

[1] Bogart, Leo. The Age of Television. 3rd ed., New York: Ungar, 1972.

[2] Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1992. Print.

[3] Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1992. Print.

[4] Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1992. Print.

[5] Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for TV: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1992. Print.