1950s Newly Weds 

A woman's place was in the home, while men were encouraged to venture out into the public sphere. 

Like the majority of Americans during the 1950s-1970s, LDS individuals sought stability in the domestic sphere. Fearing the chaos that publicly plagued the nation, the American people chose to focus the majority of their attention on the home. As a result, marriage and birth rates skyrocketed among both the LDS and non-LDS populations.[1] However, marriage and family life did not always prove to be all that it was promised. Many couples faced difficulties in their relationships as they experienced the realities of everyday life.[2] In response, LDS advice literature during this time period established strict gender roles in an attempt to help couples to build a successful marriage. As suggested in the literature, if individuals adhered to these gender roles, they would be better able to navigate the areas of home life, schooling, and religious activity. 

 As men and women moved from single life to married life, they took on a specific set of responsibilities. In the LDS culture, men were to be providers and women were to be homemakers. Advice literature published by the church taught women to be at the center of home and family life. Not only were women expected to take on the tasks of cooking, cleaning, sewing, and tending children, but they were to be the glue that held families together. It is suggested that “In most happy and smooth running marriages we find a wife who tries to please her husband in a dozen small ways each day,” and “ keeps the delicate machinery of family life well oiled and running smoothly by little drops of thoughtfulness expertly applied where there’s friction.”[3] While men were to physically provide for their families, women provided the emotional support upon which home and family life depended.

 The gender roles established at home followed married LDS individuals into the public sphere. For example, although LDS women who did not have children were encouraged to pursue education, they often sought degrees that would help them become better homemakers. Common degrees among LDS women included Family Resource Management and Home Economics. These women were also taught not to prioritize their education or career above their responsibilities at home, fearing that it may upset the delicate balance that existed in marriage.[4]

 As most of the advice literature geared towards LDS individuals was produced by the church or church members, LDS advice literature reinforced the gender roles established by religious activity. Married LDS women were often members of the Relief Society, an organization that emphasized using women’s nurturing and homemaking skills for good. As priesthood holders and church leaders, men were taught to be the head of the household. The principles taught by the church, supported the idea of the home as a safe-haven in which gender roles were established.