1. The “Other” 1950s: Single Women, Sexuality, & Unwed Mothers

2. 1950s Marriage Mania By 1951 = 69% of all US women are married
1 in 3 wed by 19
By 1957 = 14 million girls engaged by 17

3. Single Women in the 1950s
“Lone Female” studied by writers & psychiatrists
Hostility & suspicion directed towards single women & working women
1955 = Over 300 pro-marriage books published for women

4. Home Economics Textbook, 1956
Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal—on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home!
Minimize the noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Have them properly dressed to give their greetings.
Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow…speak in a low soothing and pleasant voice.

5. Beauty Standards Products marketed to “keep your husband”
1956 = Average weight for women is 15 pounds lighter than 1926 average weight
1956 = $1.3 billion spent on cosmetics, $660 million on beauty treatments, $400 million on soap and electric grooming, $65 million on “reducing”

7. Urban Hotels for Single Women
High rise, all-girl hotels & boarding houses
NYC’s Barbizon Hotel for Women used by movie stars Grace Kelly, Liza Minnelli, writers Gael Greene, Sylvia Plath
Gael Greene, New York Post, 1958, claimed hotels evoked fears of spinsterhood

8. Portrayals of Single Women in Media
Portrayed as unfulfilled background characters
Doris Day = Working Single Women in films emphasized double standards about dating & sex
Etiquette Books taught girls how to avoid sex

9. Single Pregnancy: Abortion, Adoption, & Race
1944 – 1955 = 80% increase in # of white babies up for adoption
All abortion illegal in 1950s: 800 – 1,000 women died each year
Hospital abortion committee required 2 letters diagnosing a woman as psychologically impaired
Options = Quick marriage, illegal/unsafe abortion, “Home for Wayward Girls” before adoption
Race determined options of a single mother

10. Sexuality in the 1950s
Dr. Alfred Kinsey’s Studies on Sex in Marriage, 1948 & 1953
Surveys uncovered pre-marital sex, masturbation, affairs, & homosexuality
Attitudes towards marital sex no longer about procreation
Promoted female sexuality as normal

11. Giving Birth in the 1950s Ob/Gyn almost always male
No lamaze, few midwives
Women had little knowledge of anesthesia, c-sections, hysterectomies
Ob/Gyns hostile to breastfeeding; 25% breastfeed from

13. Unhappiness of 1950s Housewives
51 – 56 hours of weekly housekeeping (unpaid labor)
Alcoholism, domestic violence ignored by police
“Mother’s Little Helper” used for housework
1/4 - 1/3 of couples married in 1950s would eventually divorce
Strict gender roles pressured women to stay out of the workforce

14. The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan, 1963
Exposed the plight of housewives, “The Problem With No Name”
Sold more than 1 million copies
Re-launched the Feminist Movement