1954 was the middle of the ‘baby boom era”—a post-war time of population growth, expansion of the middle class, and a growth in consumerism. Advertising companies promoted the ideal modern family and traditional family values. During this optimistic time, families were portrayed as enjoying the comforts of new time-saving appliances and automobiles, and as having time for leisure activities. There was much to celebrate.

              While men were still the primary breadwinners, women were central to nurturing and maintaining domestic life. During this time, women were promoted as equal partners in that their role as head of domestic life was as important as that of the breadwinner. Not only was being a successful homemaker promoted as key to being a successful woman, it was important for the stability of the family.

              This was also an era when the role of women was beginning to change. During the war, women had entered jobs in the public sector left empty by men. Although many turned their focus back to domestic life after the war, according to Statistics Canada, almost 25% of Canadian women were involved in the labour market in the early part of the 1950s. The presence of women in the workforce steadily increased as new labour-saving technologies were invented, and social norms regarding gender roles were beginning to be challenged. This was an era that preceded the Women’s Liberation Movement of the 1960s, a movement that called for an end to gender inequality.