In the 1950s and 1960s, many women stayed at home and did not work, especially if they were married and had children; instead, they stayed at home to support their children and maintain the house in order. In all matters about the household, including mortgages, legal documents, and more. On the other hand, men were regarded as the head of the family. The husband’s role as the main provider for the family gave men a lot of influence in their households and contributed to masculine superiority ideas. Instead, the man could work and keep the family out of poverty. In the mid-1950s, many men would head out to work, ready to return home to the wife’s dinner. A snapshot that stood out to me was Genawangs’, in which a woman is hanging laundry and a towel or sheet behind her says, “End gender inequality in the home.” This is significant since women handled the majority of the housework, whether it was cleaning or preparing meals for their families. In The Feminine Mystique (excerpts) By Betty Friedan, it states “Experts told them how to catch a man and keep him, how to breastfeed children and handle their toilet training, how to cope with sibling rivalry and adolescent rebellion; how to buy a dishwasher, bake bread, cook gourmet snails, and more.” This is important because it wasn’t uncommon for women to drop out of school and go straight to work till they married. Cooking, home management, darning, sewing, and even how to iron a shirt properly were all taught in secondary schools – to prepare ladies for this life. Girls were taught how to care for their husbands, children, and the home. From personal experience, I was frequently told that if I did not always cook and clean, I would not be able to have or keep a spouse. I was also advised that I would have to stay at home and look after my children. As I got older, I used to think to myself, I could cook, clean, and do more for my home, but I could also get a job and earn something of myself instead of having to stay at home.

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For many years, society has taught us that cooking and cleaning are women’s jobs, not men’s. Instead, I believe families must work together to maintain their homes or keep their spaces clean, rather than women handling the majority of the task. It is also important that we teach future generations about gender roles and that anybody can clean, cook, shop for their family, and do a variety of other activities.