The female role in middle class women's magazines from 1955 to 1976: A content analysis of nonfiction selections

Abstract

One hundred and sixty nonfiction articles and features from Ladies' Home Journal and Redbook were systematically selected and examined for their projections of the female role between 1955 and 1976. Changes found in both magazines, and particularly in Redbook, which directs itself toward younger women, paralleled a number of important societal changes. Attitudes toward female employment were found to have undergone changes during this period, as presented in magazine selections. At the same time, however, a rejection of traditional sex roles appeared decidedly less popular than a flexible consideration of nontraditional alternatives. The image of women as narrow creatures, interested only in home and family, was not supported even during the earlier years in this sample.