The Debate on Woman’s Place

Abstract

Abstract In the summer of 1947, Life magazine featured a special thirteen-page spread on the “American Woman’s Dilemma.” The title of the piece summed up its central thesis. A growing number of modern women, the editors claimed, were confused and frustrated by the conflict between traditional ideas about woman’s place and the increasing reality of female involvement in activities outside the home. At an earlier time, the editors asserted, such a conflict had not existed. A woman had been required to make only one big decision—her choice of a husband. Thereafter, her life revolved exclusively about the duties of the household. The woman of 1947, however, faced a more complicated set of options. She still wanted to get married and have children, but she also wished to participate in the world beyond the home, especially after the early years of child rearing were over. The problem was that cultural norms made little provision for women who were not homemakers. One of the by-products of the war, it seemed, was a deepening sense of bewilderment among many American women over how to define their identity in a society that failed to offer adequate alternatives.