Women &

Femininity
By: Thiri Moe, Richard Mora,
Richie Nguyen, Susie Vazquez,
Zitlali Jimenez, Marilyn Flores,
Cryztal Gutierrez

Question
#1

http://social.rollins.edu/wpsites
/thirdsight/2013/04/13/gender-rol
es-in-a-post-war-america/

#1 Question: In Marty, women seem more centered on marriage and

men seem more interested in work and fun. What are the exceptions for
each?
During the 1950s after the war was over women had to go back to their daily lives of being a mother
and housewife. Although there were exceptions and that there were women who stayed working
and wanted to achieve something higher in life. They didnt necessarily want a family, as they
wanted to wait until their education was finished or got a stable job. Coming back from the war,
men wanted to settle down and have a family, and some wanted to get a higher education. Most
took back their job that were being filled in by a woman or most just went back to their normal lives.

Question #2
#2 Question: Do you feel more badly for
Catherine or Virginia? Why do you have
more feels for one mother over the other?
I feel more badly for Catherine than Virginia because in the
1950s, a womans place was in the home. They were
expected to play the role of a caretaker, a homemaker, and
a housewife. After all of Catherines children moved out, she
had nothing left to do whereas Virginia still had her son to
take care of.
http://social.rollins.edu/wpsites/thirdsi
ght/2013/04/12/support-troops-the-role-of
-the-housewife-in-the-1950s/

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/sexist-ads-mad-men-era-gallery-1.1050013?pmSlide=1.1050003

Questions #3
#3 Question :Beyond mothers, how are young, unattached women portrayed?
Answer: I believe young unattached women in the 1950s were looked down upon, because people
believed that women with education could not become good wives to men, and did not know nothing
about caring for a family. For example, educated women were referred to as women one step away
from the streets, meaning that they did not have manners and were not wife material.

http://classroom.synonym.com/ame
rican-women-50s-9170.html

Question #4
#4 Question: Which mother in the movie is most like yours?
I think Mrs. Pilletti is like my mother because she is kind and watches
out for her kids but can be ignorant just like when catherine told
Mrs. Pilletti that marty was going to leave her for clara.
She would be the kind of person that would convince
marty not to be with Clara just like Mrs. Pilletti.

http://www.stephenhicks.org/2010/12/04/1955-movie-marty/

Chew on This #1:

The mothers in Marty are the

most sympathetic characters, because even though they put
everything into their families, they dont seem to get much out of
it. The mothers in Marty are not the most sympathetic due to the fact that a

woman's role in the 1950s was to be the one who did the housework , and care
for the children. When the mothers in Marty put everything into their family and
get nothing in return, it doesnt make them sympathetic because it was expected
of them. The women in the 1950s had to stay home and clean or watch the kids.
Women were expected to cook, however there were some, less than a handful, of
women who worked.

www.sbs.com.au

Chew on This #2
By choosing work over family, Clara is upturning the accepted system of
female values.
In the 1950s, women were not allowed to get an education. By choosing work
over family, Clara is doing something against that people dont like because
educated women were considered as loose women.

http://hankeringforhistory.com/unification-of-america-during-the-1950s-and-60s/

Works Cited
Coob, Roobix. A Womans Role in the 1950s. Colorado.edu. 17 Nov. 2015. Web. 21 Apr.2016.

Hammond, Krystine. American Women in the 50s. Synonym. Demand Media. 2001-2016. Web. 26 April 2016.

Kgeorge. Gender Roles In A Post-War America. Third Sight History. 13 April, 2013. Web. 25 April 2016.

PBS. People & Events: Mrs. America: Women's Roles in the 1950s.PBS.org. ND. Web. 22 Apr.2016