The Role Of Women In The 1960's

“It was a decade of extremes, of transformational change and bizarre contrasts: flower children and assassins, idealism and alienation, rebellion and backlash. For many in the massive post-World War II baby boom generation, it was both the best of times and the worst of times” (The 1960s). The 1960s were a period declared famous in the book of history. Life people thought they knew, would change forever. Life as a woman was promised a brighter future. After interviewing Sharon Rigelman and Barbara Hukill, who were in their mid teens to twenties during this time, they described how life was back then. Being female had an influence the jobs women were allowed to have, their salaries, getting married at younger ages, and having thoughts about their futures. The 60s and 70s will always be remembered as a time for women to be freed from their standard responsibilities.

Women are commonly placed into jokes depicting their roles as only being in the kitchen. They were restricted from doing many things in their lives. Most woman were expected to follow one path: to marry early, start a family quickly, and dedicate her life to homemaking. "The female doesn 't really expect a lot from life. She 's here as someone 's keeper — her husband 's or her children

While they may be better at some things, there’s no doubt women can, are, and will be better at things. The thirty-eight percent of American women who worked in 1960 were largely limited to jobs as teacher, nurse, or secretary (100 Years of U.S. Consumer Spending). In Gail Collins, America 's Women she quoted “Women were generally unwelcome in professional programs; as one medical school dean declared, "Hell yes, we have a quota...We do keep women out, when we can. We don 't want them here — and they don 't want them elsewhere, either, whether or not they 'll admit