Homeward Bound by Elaine Tyler May

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Homeward Bound by Elaine Tyler May
The aftermaths of the Cold War saw many people shift their attention from communism to capitalism. The period was graced with various political and foreign policies. While much efforts were focused on containment of foreign policies aimed at addressing communism and atomic proliferation, Elaine Tyler May in her book, “Homeward Bound: American Families in The Cold War Era” had another idea. Tyler May focused on domestic containment with the home being the main point of influence. This essay explores Tyler May’s opinions regarding domestic containment and how the foreign and political policies following the Cold War impacted the daily lives of Americans.
All through her work, Tyler May attempts to answer the question why the Americans were so enthusiastic and committed to the institution of marriage and parenthood immediately after the culmination of the Cold War. Young adults did not have problems adapting to the traditional family roles. However, this was not the cause for the upcoming generations which can be attributed to the change in family dynamics. All this took place during a period at which foreign and political policies regarding the cold war were still afresh and engraved in the minds of the Americans. In the quest to shift attention from containment, Tyler May decided to explore domestic containment and how it affected the formation of families during the late 20th century.
The move to object communism led to a myriad of changes regarding marriage, traditional beliefs and other crucial aspects of life.

The definition of marriage changed and the role of women in suburban America also changed. The society changed the manner in which they interact and relate with other persons either in the workplace or the general environment. The post-war period saw the growth of marriages and the emergence of new childbearing practices. Despite all these changes, there were still fears that the war would continue especially after the proliferation of the nuclear warfare. The US feared that Russia would launch a retaliatory attack and this jeopardized the happiness and prosperity of Americans (Tyler May 88). Tyler May gives an analogy of how a newlywed couple spent their honeymoon in an underground bomb shelter due to fears of an attack.
It’s quite intriguing that the 1959 kitchen debate was not aimed at assessing the impending threat of nuclear warfare but instead was focused on evaluating how post-war life would be (Tyler May 19). In the quest to convince Americans to object communism, Nixon claimed that the superiority of America in the cold war depended on the domesticated life of people living in the suburbs. Although there are a couple of options to address consumerism, the best approach was creating a conducive environment for the survival of the modern suburb families. Nixon believed that shifting attention to families was the only approach to remaining clean and thereby necessitating the need to fight communism.
During the depression era, there was a decline in the number of marriages and pregnancies all over the nation. Men feared that they would not be in a position to cater for their families due to the ongoing economic recession that left the country financially unstable. Starting a family was not always an easy task but instead requires sacrifices and more attention. Many people were afraid of getting into parenthood without adequate financial security. Upon realizing men’s reluctance in settling down and starting a family, many women decided to pursue their dream careers and remain dependent. Women wanted to have a sense of belonging where they had a healthy, competent and autonomous lifestyle. Majority of them were female Hollywood actors who understood that time was changing and they also needed to transform (Tyler May 43).
Since time immemorial, there are specific roles which are precisely meant for women. During the cold war, women served as wartime workers. The society, on the other hand, seemed to be at loggerheads between supporting women in their chores or containing them in domesticity. Despite serving in the war as heroines, the role of women assumed a different direction. Women sexuality became a predominant topic with the Likes of Marilyn Monroe being the subjects of discussion (Tyler May 62). The aspect of women’s sexuality was extended for use in decorating warfighters. Most aspects of the war were in one way or another linked with the sexuality aspect of women in the society.
Over the time, the society developed fears regarding women’s sexuality and instead women had other central roles to accomplish. Confusion and chaos rose as people made attempts at redefining women’s sexuality. The institution of marriage needed to be strengthened amidst efforts to keep families united. The fear of women’s sexuality can be perceived in Tyler May’s narration of the Vamp girl. The society created a direct relationship between sexual immorality and communism. Little did they know that such interventions would assist in revolutionizing the society. Tyler May (91) argues that only “strong, manly men” would overcome the new perception of a society that has allowed women’s sexuality to dominate. These are the same people who would be summoned to address the issue of communism; it’s threats and related temptations.
Raising a family has never been easy since parents have to balance their work time with the time spent with their kids. Philip Wylie’s term, “momism” was a 1942 concept that denotes a situation in which a kid is either given too much attention by their mothers (Tyler May 73). There were fears that many people would lose their jobs following the recent policy changes. Technological advancements were also encroaching as manufacturing industries saw the need to automate their operations which in the long run led to the layoff of some of the workers. Mothers were looked upon to raise their kids decently and modestly by devoting their time to look after their kids. Momism gave rise to two options which were either the child became a criminal after being segregated from the parents or a perpetual pervert who is over-dependent on the guardians. The parents, therefore, had to balance their schedule to ensure that they devoted some of their time and effort to raise their children responsibly.
In her book, Tyler May presents a situation where women had to endure various ups and downs before they emerged triumphant in their course. Tyler May’s most remarkable resource all through her work is the Kelly Longitudinal Study (KLS) which involved a total of 600 white individuals belonging to the middle-class social strata who were on the verge of starting a family (Tyler May 81). The participants were both men and women and were the study was initiated in the 1930s by a University of Michigan psychologist, Lowell Kelly. The survey was completed in 1955, and the findings of the study revealed worthy revelations regarding the institution of marriage and childbearing practices during the mid-20th century. The questionnaires had a myriad of questions ranging from career life, marriage life and parenthood.
While analyzing the findings of the KLS study, Tyler May offers insight on the reasons why some marriages succeed while others fail. Female independence has been a significant cause of most incidences of domestic violence. The campaign to promote gender equality may have facilitated all this. Nowadays, women no longer want to remain submissive to their men. Since time immemorial, the role of women has been tending to young ones and attending to other home chores. Men, on the other hand, were breadwinners. However, this is not the case nowadays because there are a couple of women who do not prefer to wed. Instead, they prefer living an independent lifestyle which is free from control by anyone. Carol Sears is a perfect example of women who strive to become independent in a society that condones subordinating domesticity (Tyler May 174). More women have vowed to assist their colleagues who are apparently stuck in submissive domesticity.
The majority of the stable relationships base their success to the guidance and assistance offered by professional counselors. As divorces became imminently common, professional counselors saw the need of exploiting this opportunity to their advantage. Couples would seek professional guidance whenever they felt their relationship was on the brink of termination. In fact, it was not necessary to wait for this long while the couple still has time to address their differences early enough. However, Tyler May argues that the couple must collectively agree to seek professional guidance. Each of them must be ready to dedicate their time and effort to the success of their union.
The period between 1960 and 1970 saw the gradual demise of domestic containment. Some women such as Betty Friedan opted to abandon their careers for the sake of their families (Tyler May 207). Friedan thought that a woman must dedicate all her time and effort to looking after her family. When it dawned on her that things were going haywire, she started a campaign to emancipate other women to break off from the shackles of domestic containment. She wanted women to go back to school and pursue their dream careers. More movements arose to empower the girl child to raise her voice, fight for her civil rights and become independent. This was a significant turning point whose impact on the institution of marriage and parenthood can be felt even nowadays.
Work Cited
Tyler May, Elaine. “Homeward bound.” American Families in the Cold War Era, (Falta ciudad), Basic Book (1988).