These strikingly conservative government actions were a direct response to society's changing values. This era is often seen as the most conservative since the 1950s. The vast freedoms of the sixties had upset many people. The eighties focused on a restoration of traditional values (Boyer, 1043). These more conservative morals and goals were impacted by, and visible in, the films made in the 1980s. .
By the 1980s the feminist movement had gained great success especially since its troublesome times in the 1950s, when women were expected to remain at home. "But this era of conservative gender politics did not kill feminism in the U.S.; the country took a more liberal swing in the early 1960s" (Baumer, 1). Throughout the remainder of the sixties and seventies and into the eighties, feminism flourished and women in the working world became as popular as stay at home mothers. In an attempt to prove their ability and that they belonged, women worked exceptionally hard to climb the economic and career ladders. In turn, they had less time for marriage, children, and leisure. Baby Boom satirizes those women who became overwhelmed in feminism and gave up family life in order to pursue their careers (Ozer). .
By the late 1980s, many women had become strong, successful leaders in their professions and they had worked just as fiercely as men to get there. Although workaholic women were often reluctant to give up time at work to commit to a relationship or deal with the time restraints of pregnancy and raising a child, movies such as Baby Boom made them realize that they were often giving up much more than they were gaining by living a work-only focused lifestyle. Consequently, toward the end of the eighties, many women were working to compromise their time at work in order to raise a family. .
"The 1980s marked a resurgence of Hollywood Some critics complained that a "bottom line mentality" ruled the day, but in fact many films during the decade demonstrated that social consciousness was alive and well in the movie business" (Manning).