Changes in the Post-WW II Era

What are the differences in the ways women appear in the following two

pictures?

Women’s Rights and Roles• Women replaced by men in

most jobs and encouraged to return to being a housewife and mother. Baby-Boom Generation begins.

• Women seek more political rights and personal liberties in the post-war era.

• Betty Friedan:the Feminine Mystique and others challenge stereotypes for women.

Pro-Choice v. Pro-Life• Court case that involved

two rights in conflict, the right to a woman to make her own health decisions vs. the right to a fetus to live.

• It established that an abortion in the first trimester was a right that could be found in the 14th Amendment’s interpreted “right to privacy”

The Post War Economy• Differences between WW I

veterans and WW II veterans with the GI Bill.– Opportunities to purchase a

house– Opportunities to go back to

school and pursue an education

– Opportunities in vocational training

Rock and Roll Music/Counterculture• Elvis Presley is considered

the King of Rock and Roll. He introduced a new style of music and dance.

• British bands like the Beatles made long hair and new styles of dress popular

“Nuclear Fallout”

• Changes in society due to the nuclear arms race included the Interstate Highway System, building of fallout shelters, the creation of the CIA, and the Red Scare among other things.

Consumerism• Americans became

consumed with new inventions and had money to spend after the rationing of the WW II era.

• New or fairly new technology such as the automobile, television, sewing machines, refrigerators, became the items of choice and the growth of shopping centers made this spending easier.