The Portrayal  of Women  in Early Television: Housewives

“Don’t start that again, Alice. No wife of mine is gonna work. I got my pride.”- Ralph from the situation comedy television show, The Honeymooners

The portrayal of women in television and media in general, has always been, in some way or another, stereotypical. Gender roles can be seen regularly and similarly repeated in a variety of media. Although, gender biases of women depicted in early television are most apparent, due to their lack of subtly to the modern eye. These shows were fraught with gender tensions, for example, in early television, women were often portrayed as the perfect housewife. In this television world, women did not work outside of the home. In fact they really weren’t allowed to, because it would be an insult to the male character of the show. She happily cared for her family while doing chores and making her husband/children’s dinner–all while wearing heels, having neatly coiffed hair and a smile on her face. Even during commercials, there were ads telling women that they should enjoy doing the laundry and that their goal was to become good housekeepers. Television shows also underrepresented women, and when they did appear, they were most often seen in these stereotyped roles.

This role of the housewife was not on a personal level or choice, but rather based on societies standards. According to society rules#,  families should consist of the dominant, working husband, and the submissive, stay-at-home wife who would do anything for her husband.  A wife was a good wife only if she carried out her husbands every order and agreed with him on everything. In this way, women are being told that a women’s life is not as important as her husband’s. The idea of a strong, independent woman was unacceptable and any portrayal of this women was absent in television, and it if were there, it was viewed negatively.  For example, the old, unmarried Aunt Martha  from Leave it to Beaver is portrayed as out of touch, annoying and boring. The ideal women in the shows that aired were depicted as submissive, and financially dependent on men. They also needed to show both a caring side and a need to be with her husband. Women were solely defined  as a man’s wife, mother and the homemaker.  These views of women forced them to live through their husbands and children which was evident in shows such as:  Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, The Honeymooners, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet .

“It was common in early television programs that men and women were shown in different settings, performing different activities, and displaying different character traits.”(Kenneth  pg. 14) These biases on television made apparent the discriminatory treatment of women. Most women on television had no interest, purpose, or goal beyond her chores, with the biggest problem facing women was, how to keep the home spotless and still manage to look good. “This ideal…damaged American woman and trapped them in the suburban home…Studies of postwar culture found that government propaganda, popular magazines, and films reinforced traditional concepts of femininity and instructed women to subordinate their interests to those of men.” (Meyerowitz, pg. 147) Television was selling this image, values and goals to the viewers which in turn, shaped  attitudes and  behaviors. The male characters in the television shows outnumber the female characters three to one.  “Eighty-five percent of all women are shown to have no occupation at all.  The other fifteen percent hold some sort of clerical position.” (Dominick, 408).  Shows starring women were never greater than fourteen percent of network programs.

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, was one of television’s longest running comedies airing from 1952 to 1966. It was thought to be a wholesome family show for all viewers.  The show was based on the real life family, the Nelsons,  and the day to day life situations of a “typical” family. Ozzie was the father and head of the household who provided the source of their income.  Harriet, the mother, is a housewife who spends her days tending to the home and to their two sons, David and Ricky.  Similarly to other shows in early television, she did not work. As a result of gender bias, she is not allowed to take on any other roles. Every morning she would wake up (already dressed perfectly), and stand behind the kitchen counter, which  is where she was filmed most often during the show.   Harriet actively assumed the role of caretaker and mother, and despite her own desire for more–was shown seemingly happy with her “chosen” role.  In one episode, she suggested to Ozzie that she join him on the local volunteer fire department, to which he replied, #“Are you kidding? You gals take long enough to dress.“ To which she replied, “We can be pretty quick.”  But Ozzie simply responded with, “By the time you got your makeup on, the fire would be out”. It was expected that women should be satisfied with this type of life but it was clear that  Harriet was not content. When she asks Ozzie if she can work outside the home, he simply discards the idea as ridiculous.  This is a typical example of the discrimination shown toward women  in early television.

Another early television  program, Leave it to Beaver, was on the air from 1957 to 1963 and was also a family television show.  The parents were Ward and June, a happily marred couple who represented “the cornerstone of successful middle class life” (wikipedia.org) and children, Wally, and Theodore (also known as Beaver).  The family was held together by Ward’s leadership, and June’s desire to form the perfect family.

June, the perfect wife and mother, was also neatly coiffed while she cleaned, cooked, and enjoyed her life as a housewife. June is never shown as having a life of her own, she is always there for Wally, Beaver, and her husband.  But as a housewife, June is constantly criticized for not working hard enough or not being neat enough.  This is an example of the expected woman’s duties that included cooking, cleaning,  and serving the husband/children. June even prepared all meals from scratch, complete with homemade pies.  “The family always ate their meals together in perfect white suburbia, where the only major troubles were a bit of sibling rivalry or Beaver losing his haircut money.  Nevertheless, June kept the family organized, in her composed and unruffled way.   Beaver Cleaver once told his mother, ‘You know, Mom, when we’re in a mess, you kind of make things seem not so messy.’  June answered, ‘Well, isn’t that sort of what mothers are for?’”  (Halberstam, pg. 512). The role of the housewife in television wanted female viewers to feel like it was a rewarding and creative life.

The Honeymooners, was a comedy involving the everyday lives of Ralph and Alice Kramden, which aired from 1955 to 1956, and again in 1971.   Ralph worked as a New York City bus driver, and (once again), his wife Alice did not work and was a  housewife. Although, The Honeymooners  differs from other early television shows in that they did not have children. The Honeymooners revolved around Ralph and Alice, and their neighbors Ed and Trixie.  Even without children, they are portrayed in all the stereotypical roles.  Ralph is the head of the household while Alice is the homemaker.  It is clear to see that the prevailing belief was that the women’s place is in the home.  Alice is not aloud to work from outside the home, thus ensuring her dependence on her husband.  The message was clear, without the financial stability provided by men, women would surely be  inadequate members of society.

Father Knows Best, another feel good family show about morals and life lessons, aired from 1954 until 1963.  In this show, all problems and trouble could be resolved in half an hour. It was about the daily life of the Anderson family, Jim, an insurance agent, his stay at home wife Margaret, and their children Betty, Bud and Kathy.  Even the title suggests a gender discrimination.  The reality in early television was that generally, the father always did know best.  The mother in this television show is always wearing an apron and if she is not serving the family, she is just standing and smiling in her apron. She was shown as though she didn’t have a care in the world . In one episode, Margaret “rebels” and “decides she has had enough house work and goes downtown where, among other pleasures, she visit’s a local artist to have her portrait done. When her husband Jim finds out she’s involved with an artist, he’s sure there is something else going on.” (Spigel, TV By Design Pg, 42) This is just another instance of discrimination toward women, based on behaviors considered inappropriate of women.

These bias views can also been seen in numerous other television shows and commercials of the era.  Women were simply not given the option to accomplish anything outside the home.  Society viewed women best in the housewife role and  females were not given equal opportunities as males, both on television and in real life. Advertising was a powerful tool in this “propaganda”, and while most people would consider it a medium to sell products, it can also sell a person, or, (in the case of early television), the gender role of the housewife.  A good example of this can be seen in an excerpt about a 1950s commercial from the Domestic Wife blog: “Jean scrubbed her hair with gusto. She had finished scrubbing all the floors, shining the silver, mending Arnold’s socks, and dicing up the final ingredients for tonight’s supper masterpiece. Best of all, Jean had finally mastered vacuuming in high heels. Jean knew she had all the traits of a refined, modern wife of 1952. It had been a long day, and it felt good to get cleaned up. Mother said, a clean house and a clean self are just a few of the all-important Wifely Duties. As Jean scrubbed her lustrous hair, she smiled to herself. Yes, Jean knew why Arnold had made her his wife. She was well aware of all of the Wifely Duties. But surely that didn’t mean she ever had to let a dirty thing touch her. Jean was sure Arnold would understand…Wouldn’t he?”

It is clear that society was not comfortable with the idea of powerful, self-sufficient women, and the television shows of those early decades reveal just that.  What is also clear is these stereotypes depicted on early television continue to have lasting impact on culture and media as we know it. The belief that women’s place is in the home, women are inferior, and women are dependent on men, continue to reflect itself in current forms of media. While not as obvious, much of television continues to use this imagery.  Maybe families are no longer portrayed as unflawed , but in general, the woman is often still seen as a mother and caretaker, helpless or as a woman who must chose between a professional life or a family life. While these early depictions continue to be used in media, they have also resulted in greater awareness of stereotypes.  This imagery has been a monumental tool toward the movement of women’s rights and feminism, as well as a source of reflection and shift of thought toward other biases and stereotyping.

In Ready Camera One we have explored stereotyping, biases, gender roles and the use of humor with stereotyping.This research topic on, The Portrayal of Women on Early Television, (more specially, as a housewife)  is quite relevant to our critique of media representation throughout the class. We’ve looked at the portrayal of- gender, people of various ethnical backgrounds, sexual orientations and economic classes. Through our work in the first piece, we used stereotyping as the main component of the character we would play during our interview. In these early television shows I evaluated here, characters were also created with typical societal stereotypes of the time. The commercials we critiqued in class used many of the stereotypes I’ve discussed here. For example, the coffee commercial that showed the perfect looking housewife making coffee for her working husband is quite relevant. In most of the shows we’ve viewed in class, they have displayed some sort of stereotype or bias toward women.

The depiction of women in early television is relevant to my own study agenda in a many ways.   Firstly, being an art student I am interested in the portrayal of women in various types of media.  I would like to continue to  research gender bias and stereotyping more deeply, and believe exploring these topics through creative means such as media and television, is a beneficial way to further my understanding.  I am also interested in fashion design and costuming which is influenced greatly by/and influences the portrayal of women. For example, the modern pin up style emulates not only the clothing look, but the overall portrayal of women in early television. I ultimately hope to design garments on a professional level or style television/film, thus I feel it is important to be aware of the image I am delivering to the viewers. By dressing an actor/actress I could very well be informing the bias or stereotype because dress code is one of the main ways people form or acknowledge a stereotype.