1. The two women referred to in the title of the chapter are Rosie and Lucy.
2. Women such as Betty Friedan felt frustrated after WWII because they were expected to return to their traditional roles as housewives and mothers after having worked outside of the home during the war.
3. Betty Friedan began her study after attending a college reunion where she discovered that many of her former classmates were unhappy with their lives as housewives and mothers. She decided to publish it as a book because she wanted to reach a wider audience.
4. During the era of “Rosie the Riveter”, women made gains in the workforce by taking jobs that had previously been reserved for men. These women felt proud of themselves and their contributions, but society as a whole was ambivalent about their role in the workforce.
5. Some reactions to women moving in large numbers to male-dominated jobs included resentment from men who felt that women were taking jobs away from them, and concern from some women who felt that working outside of the home would make them less feminine.
6. Mass media played a role during the 1950s and 1960s in both supporting and undermining the “feminine mystique”. For example, television shows like “I Love Lucy” portrayed women as happy homemakers, while other shows like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” showed women working outside of the home.
7. According to Davidson and Lytle, Lucy came closest to truly overcoming the feminine mystique because she was able to balance her roles as wife, mother, and working woman.
8. Historians have largely avoided the debate regarding the influence of media on society because it is difficult to measure.
9. Content analysis reveals that television programs from this period tended to reinforce traditional gender roles rather than challenge them.
10. Feminism means advocating for equal rights for women and men. Feminists do exist today; for example, there are many organizations that work towards gender equality such as UN Women.
11. Working women were blamed for social problems when wartime disruptions were the real cause because it was easier for society to blame women than it was to acknowledge that there were larger social problems at play.
12. Sit-coms challenge gender roles by portraying characters who do not conform to traditional gender norms. Today’s sit-coms continue to challenge traditional gender roles; for example, shows like “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” feature female characters who work in traditionally male-dominated fields like law enforcement.