
While we live in a world where gender roles have entered a cultural forum for conversation and exploration, the 1950s weren’t exactly known as a time of similar discourse. Home economics was for girls, and shop class was for boys, and many people didn’t see the need to challenge these norms. And while we believe that girls and boys may naturally possess different tendencies or interests, we’re looking at 19 different ways the school system reinforced gender stereotypes in the ’50s to better understand what school might have been like back then. Baby Boomers in the house, what did we miss?
#1: Separate Classrooms for “Appropriate” Subjects
Elective classes like woodworking and home ec were often divided by gender. Since women in the 1950s more commonly took on the role of home maker, it seemed appropriate to equip young girls with skills like sewing and cooking from a young age. Equally, boys were seen as naturally more “handy”, growing into men who would become carpenters, mechanics, or factory workers.
