Family+Life

What did the "average American family" look like?
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 * American family was geared toward the family.
 * Woman of the house/House wives:
 * Women were obligated to be stay-at-home mothers.
 * Dressed in beautiful dresses, walking in high heels and adorned with various jewels
 * All while cleaning/doing chores.
 * Women were expected to act "__ladylike__".
 * Men:
 * "Brought home the bacon ".
 * Most men worked blue -collar jobs--industrial and agricultural work.
 * They were expected to act like __gentlemen__.
 * Children-Teenager:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Teenagers were expected to act respectful and decent.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, there was a surge in rebellious acts for <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">freedom <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> and <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">independence <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> as new outlets emerged for teenagers to relate to.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They were "**seen** __not__ //heard//"
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Became part of the generation now know to be the "**baby boom**".

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What were their hopes and dreams?

 * With the depression a distant memory, the country was at a general air of good feeling.
 * Americans **trusted** the government and politicians.
 * Society was experiencing __<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">growth. __
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">﻿The Baby Boom, for example, allowed for growth in economics.
 * Ideas of success and prosperity for families were sought after.
 * Segregation and racism were __core issues__ being addressed in the 1950's, with the hope (depending on a person's stance) that the changes made to the constitutionality of segregation were implemented.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">What were their fears?

 * Premarital sex was **not** accepted.
 * Teenage pregnancies, in particular, were looked down upon.
 * Such pregnancies typically resulted in the females being admitted to special schools for girls, and being sent to relatives.
 * Women who //chose// to work, especially if they were not in need of the paycheck, were seen as being **selfish**.
 * Women were pressured into marrying young, as well as raising a family as soon as possible.

Links:
Pop Culture Universe Life in the 1950s American Experience

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