etermining how well she might fulfill this role while the woman judged how good a “breadwinner” he would be. If he proposed marriage and she accepted, there was a period of “engagement” while the evaluation process continued. After marriage they actively assumed these roles.
Sounds quaint by today’s standards but that was the world where the Journal found its niche in women’s lives, particularly after marriage.
For generation after generation the Journal provided recipes, tips on decorating, advice on raising children, managing the household money, the latest styles and fashions, and a host of other subjects of interest to women. There were articles by well known men and women on a variety of topics that kept “housewives” connected with a larger culture outside their own relatively small domestic domain. In short, the Journal helped satisfy a need among millions of women and undoubtedly was very influential in fashioning the American home.
All that started to change when World War II introduced large numbers of women into factories and elsewhere in the war effort - replacing the millions of men who were in the military. After the war, the traditional roles of women and men were altered somewhat with women increasing their presence in the workplace but the traditional “homemaker” was still dominant and the Journal’s influence remained high.
The “sexual revolution” of the 1960’s and the introduction of the “pill” kicked off dramatic changes which have resulted in today’s blurring of the traditional lines differentiating the roles of men and women in our society.
Today, young women and girls prepare for careers outside the home and not for becoming “homemakers.” “Hooking up” and “cohabiting”are becoming preferred to marriage and child-rearing has been “outsourced” to daycare facilities and the schools. One result of these societal changes is that the average age of Journal readers is now reportedly just under 60. After all, who among women in the 20-35 age group is interested in the Journal when the Internet is so convenient.
Well, there you have it - another example of how times are changing and how these changes have effected an “institution” that has been such an influential part of our American culture for generations. A bit sad? Perhaps, but we can’t stop what is called “progress.” At least that’s how it seems to me.
Bill Taylor, a Greene County Daily columnist and area resident, may be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.org.