History in Plath's Period of Writing

During the Second World War, women proved that they could do "men's" work, and do it well. With men away to serve in the military and demands for war material increasing, manufacturing jobs opened up to women and upped their earning power. Yet women's employment was only encouraged as long as the war was on. Once the war was over, federal and civilian policies replaced women workers with men.

The Post-Modernist Period

The Post-Modernist period, stretching from 1945 to present, was known for its opportunity and change. Poetry during the time period was influenced by the many events occurring in society. The Second World War had just ended and it was a prosperous time for most of the world. Sylvia Plath was a female poet during this time period. Some of Plath's work is directly related to issues developing in society, while others were influenced by her truly troubled life. Being a woman, Plath was always interested in the constant fight for women's rights. After the war, women's liberation was one of the many issues that demanded change.

Women's liberation was such a big issue because once the war was over, federal and civilian policies replaced women workers with men. Advertisements, educational films, and television shows, post-war Americans saw feminine, stay-at-home moms cleaning, cooking, and taking care of children while masculine dads left home early and returned late each weekday. In More Work for Mother, Ruth Schwartz Cowan wrote that psychiatrists, psychologists, and popular writers of the era critiqued women who wished to pursue a career, and even women who wished to have a job, referring to such "unlovely women."

Societal roles were standard, but slowly changing in favor of women as they began to uphold a greater standing in the labor workforce following World War II. Simply put,they were bored weaving, mending, and maintaining in the household and many sought something more intellectually stimulating. Sylvia Plath was one such women, whose achievements as a successful poet and writer accentuated by the times that harbored her growth and development.

For more images of women during the Second World War go to http://www.history.com/topics/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii/photos






Sources: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/tupperware-work/
http://www.history.com/topics/american-women-in-world-war-ii