Stereotypes of Women
June, the wife and mother, plays a stereotypical woman for the time period. She is a stay at home mom, dedicated to cleaning and most importantly, cooking. The show emphasizes the role of a wife in the kitchen. Women were expected to be housewives and not pursue education in the 1950s. They prided themselves on the cleanliness of their kitchen. Women held little to no power in familial relationships. June receives a lot of sass from Beaver and does not make the decision about Beaver’s punishment, as Ward did when Beaver got in trouble and could not go to the movies. Women were also shown as fragile.
As evidence from the above clip, the role of the wife was to stay in the kitchen. Women were considered too fragile because June was able to cook in the kitchen but not able to barbecue or do anything requiring more manual labor, like Ward could. June was also often pictured working in the kitchen.
Click below to read about the Stereotypes of Teenagers!