Roles Of Women In Television

            Throughout the history of television, the role of the housewife and mother has changed from a subservient woman to the more controlling, powerful, and dominant female portrayed in today's culture. In early television, the 1950's and 1960's, the housewife or mother was always seen as submissive towards the more assertive father or husband. In Common Culture, Harry Waters explains in his article, "Life According to TV," that males often got a deviation of roles, and females were usually playing the part of a mother, wife, or girlfriend. (Waters 167) As time progressed, that role was changed to a more authoritative and domineering woman who controlled a somewhat of a bumbling idiot of a husband. This is apparent in such sitcoms as "Father Knows Best," "All in the Family," and in more recent times in the animated series, "The Simpsons." .
             In the 1950's and early 1960's, the woman was always shown as the housewife who stayed home and took care of the children, and cooked and cleaned while the husband went to work. This is noticeable in the 50's and early 60's sitcom, "Father Knows Best." While the husband and father, Jim, went to work everyday, the wife, Margaret stayed home. She took care of the youngest child before she was old enough to attend school. She was the one who cleaned and cooked all day while Jim was at work supporting the family financially. In one episode of this sitcom, Jim comes home to find Margaret not dressed up, and only in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She also has a streak of dirt on her face. Upon realizing the state she was in, she apologized to Jim for not being dressed "satisfactorily" to be in the presence of her husband, and immediately goes to change clothing and freshen herself up for Jim. Not only was she embarrassed to be seen like that by her husband, but she was also somewhat worried about what her husband would do or say to her. It didn't matter that she was at home all day cleaning and taking care of a child; she was expected to be dressed nicely and be clean when her husband walked in that front door from work.