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Daily Life for a Housewife during the 1950s and 1960s

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What housewives all did is very different from a woman today. A 1950’s woman cooked, cleaned, and took care of the kids and husband. Today, women have that opportunity to work.
#womansrightschanged

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Daily Life for a Housewife during the 1950s and 1960s

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Living the American Dream, 1950s Suburban Life

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The trends and expectations for every home in the 1950’s.
#womenhadtocleanitall

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Living the American Dream, 1950s Suburban Life

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“If more people could talk about the mental health issues they had, and if they felt safe to express themselves, there could be less of a stigma surrounding mental health”(Beck 12).

Talking about their mental health is the only way it can get better, but the stigma surrounding woman's mental health restricts them from talking.
#nomorestigmas

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZZ9-ym_vQBeONKFmD8RFu19hoaGg0ogb7RBXdjbeneI/edit

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"The overarching theme of stigma in relation to lifecycle issues comprised of four sub themes: powerlessness, objectification, lack of knowledge, and feelings of inadequacy and guilt" (Birch 66).

The four sub themes describe the things woman felt when they were dealing with their mental health and the little they felt they could do about it.

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(Vintage advertisements that preyed on women’s need for marital security, 1910-1960)

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Woman in the 1950's masked there emotions because of the stigma surrounding them. Men didn't care about their emotions they only cared if their needs were met.

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The majority of mental health professionals were men during the 1950's. Many women have gave statements about how they were seen by male doctors.

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The majority of mental health professionals were men during the 1950's. Many women have gave statements about how they were seen by male doctors.

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"Women felt that their physical health problems lead to an emotionally nurturing response from people who had more sympathy towards physical illness than to mental health problems: ‘‘if you’ve got cancer, if you’ve got heart. . .(Sic) it’s a shame, oh it’s dreadful. But if you’ve got mental health then it’s well, she’s a nutcase’’ (P2). Other women agreed with this, saying they felt that in comparison they had not been listened to or understood by mental health professionals" (Birch 66).

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Plath demonstrates Esther's feelings; “I buried my head under the darkness of the pillow and pretended it was night. I couldn’t see the point of getting up. I had nothing to look forward to” (Plath 61).

Esther had no one to talk to. She was alone due to the stigma making it unacceptable to talk about one's mental health.

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“The more hopeless you were, the further away they hid you”(Plath 131).

#ignoringtheissue

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Howard et al. (2001) found that women with mental health problems felt they did not receive adequate help and support in dealing with the difficulties of early motherhood, including the implications of their antipsychotic medication for their pregnancy or for breastfeeding. (Birch 63).

Women were left with little to no help and as they were dealing with their mental health they were still expected to take care of their family's without any support.

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(The 10 Worst Mental Health Treatments in History)

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The way woman's mental health was treated made them feel unheard. Many reports of doctors simply giving them medication were seen in the 1950's and woman felt they weren't treated properly.

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The practice of woman's mental health doesn't do justice for what they truly need and is often overlooked when it comes to research.

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The practice of woman's mental health doesn't do justice for what they truly need and is often overlooked when it comes to research.

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"There is evidence that the physical health needs associated with these life cycle events may not be adequately met. Coverdale, Bayer, McCullough & Chervenak (1993) found that women’s contraceptive needs are often ignored, and Ramsay, Wech and Youard (2001) argue that womens’ knowledge of sexual health is not generally addressed and sexually transmitted diseases go untreated (Coverdale, Turbott & Roberts, 1997)" (Birch 62).

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“So I began to think that maybe it was true that when you were married and had children it was like being brainwashed, and afterward you went about numb as a slave in some private totalitarian state” (Plath 69).

Esther has been engraved with this mind set due to the stigma surrounding woman that men are enforcing. The roles of woman in a household setting in the 1950's makes them feel encaged. This causes younger individuals such as Esther to have a negative outlook on life, because she is expect to live up to the stigma surrounding woman and she doesn't want that life.

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“I didn’t want my picture taken because I was going to cry. I didn’t know why I was going to cry, but I knew that if anybody spoke to me or looked at me too closely the tears would fly out of my eyes and the sobs would fly out of my throat and I’d cry for a week. I could feel the tears brimming and sloshing in me like water in a glass that is unsteady and too full. … “You look like you’re going to cry.””(Plath 82).

Esther demonstrates the effect mental health has on some and the overall feeling displayed. Esther can't show her emotions because of the stigma resulting in her not getting the help she needs.

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“I couldn’t stand the idea of a woman having to have a single pure life and a man being able to have a double life, one pure and one not” (Plath 66).

The overall expectations of woman compared to men creates a huge divide between them allowing those stigmas to come out and negatively effect woman.
#notfair

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(Sent to the asylum: The Victorian women locked up because they were suffering from stress, post natal depression and anxiety)

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Woman in the 1950's don't have a way to discuss their emotions causing them to be sad and have a hard time opening up to individuals.

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“The silence depressed me. It wasn’t the silence of silence. It was my own silence” (Plath 18).

Esther had severe mental health issues. She didn’t have someone to talk to. It was uncommon for a woman to speak out about it, so Esther stayed suppressed.

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(COVID-19 and mental health impacts: Women are at greater risk)

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This graphic shows how woman are more susceptible to mental health illnesses, yet they still are not allowed to discuss there mental health with others otherwise it is seen as a problem.

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Mental health is very common considering the massive stigma surrounding it. In the 1950's woman couldn't speak out about their mental illnesses. They had no one to talk to so they didn't talk allowing their mental illness to get progressively worse.

"Approximately 12 million young people under the age of 18 have diagnosable mental disorders, or one in five children are affected by mental illness at any given time” (Mooney 18).

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“Mental illness is an equal-opportunity disease. It can strike people from any race, gender, nationality, or background” (Mooney 16).

The stigma surrounding woman’s mental health is still there. Men are seen having the same types of mental health illnesses, but woman are seen as the weak ones when they try asking for help. Men, however, don’t speak out in fear of getting the label “weak” as well.
#Somethinghastobedone

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Mental health professionals used medications to help woman with mental illness creating a stigma of simply giving woman drugs instead of talking to them and understanding what they are going through.

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"Woman stereotypes have a role in them getting help and is shown as some “will stay home, and stay quiet,  won’t get the help” (Beck 66).

This was seen throughout the 1900’s and is even seen today. Doing this creates a bigger problem and allows the mental health disorder to get worse and have fatal consequences.

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“Mental illness is always going to have a stigma in the eyes of many people in society, and that falls in line with the thinking that people with mental health issues are “crazy” and not to be trusted, understood, or valued” (Beck 75-76).

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“Often, people with depression and anxiety are told to “get over it” by people who don’t understand that mental illness isn’t something that can just be turned off by a switch”(Beck 14).

This is seen throughout the 1950's and is the main reason many don't feel comfortable discussing mental health.

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“Some people are born with mental health issues, and others develop them later in life. But while these concerns are common, they aren’t talked about in the same way as physical health issues. Why? Because of the stigma surrounding them”(Beck 7).

Mental illnesses are common and overlooked considering they can appear at any stage of life.

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“And I thought of how my mother and brother and friends would visit me, day after day, hoping I would be better. Then their visits would slacken off, and they would give up hope. They would grow old. They would forget me” (Plath 130).

Esther didn't have people there for her. No one was supporting her because of the stigma creating a divide in society and the lack of understanding surrounding mental illnesses.

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The numerous explanations as to why some women might have a mental illness is due to things many things that are uncontrollable.

"Women have particular physical health needs across the life span, in relation to menstruation, fertility, sexual relationships, pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, childbirth, childcare and the menopause. These events can be stressful for any woman, and some are associated with increased risk for certain mental health problems"(Birch 62).

#womansmentalhealthmatters