Final answer:
Historically, expectations for marriage involved legal control and dowries, whereas parenthood expereinces included childbirth and familial responsibilities. The 1950s idealized women's domestic role, but this often led to dissatisfaction, as seen in Betty Friedan's experiences. Discrepancies between societal expectations and the reality of women's roles were evident in the struggles with employment and single motherhood.
Step-by-step explanation:
The females profiled in Promises to Keep had various expectations for marriage, many of which were shaped by historical contexts and societal norms. For instance, historically, marriage often meant coming under the legal control of the husband's household, where younger girls were seen as sexually pure and more controllable, and the size of a dowry could influence marital sway. As such, women from wealthy backgrounds enjoyed more influence in their marital arrangments due to the protection powerful families offered, while lower-class women depended on their husbands' status to elevate their own. In contrast, expectations for parenthood are frequently linked with the profound experiences of childbirth, the grief over the loss of children, or the loneliness associated with raising children, often in isolated conditions such as plantations.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the societal ideal portrayed in popular media presented women's roles as homemakers and mothers, reaching its apex with tv shows that glorified the housewife's role. Nevertheless, for some, this led to feelings of isolation and a sense of unfulfillment, exemplified by Betty Friedan's own experiences, which prompted her to investigate similar experiences among other women. Meanwhile, employment for women was often seen as an undesirable necessity, reserved for periods of financial crisis or war. Still, nearly half of the working women were single, indicating a disconnect between societal expectations and individual realities.
When comparing expectations between marriage and parenthood, it's clear that societal norms dictated a woman's anticipation of marriage as an economic and status-related move while parenthood brought with it a set of intense emotional and physical experiences that were often glossed over by the idealized visions of motherhood.