The American Dream in the 1950s

Welcome to Suburbia!• More and more Americans leave cities for life

in the suburbs.– 85% of new homes are built in the suburbs;– The suburbs embody the “American Dream” – The baby boom increases demand for housing

Auto-Mania!• Living in suburbia makes car-ownership a must!– New car sales rise throughout the 1950s– The total number of cars on the road jumps from 40

million in 1950 to 60 million in 1960• The Interstate Highway System– More cars = More roads– 1956, President Eisenhower signs the Interstate

Highway Act• Americans hit the roads for family vacations• The suburbs grow even more ;

– The economic gulf between urban and suburban, middle-class and poor widens

Americans Hit the Road

Women in the 1950s

• The role of the home-maker is glorified by popular culture;– “[T]he key figure in all suburbia, the thread that weaves

between family and community – the keeper of the suburban dream.”

• However, many women felt bored, isolated and unfulfilled;– The number of women working outside the home rises

steadily during the 1950s• Career opportunities for women are limited to fields such as

nursing, teaching and office support• Women are paid less than men for comparable work

The Myth of the Happy Housewife

The Feminine Mystique• “For the first time in their history, women are

becoming aware of an identity crisis in their own lives, a crisis which… has grown worse with each succeeding generation… I think this is the crisis of women growing up – a turning point from an immaturity that has been called femininity to full human identity.” Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique

REFLECTION: What crisis are women facing in the 1950s? What does this mean?

Women’s Fashion of the 1950s

Male Fashions of the 1950s

Popular Culture of the 1950s

1950’s Counter Culture