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Science in the 1950s
Science in the 1950s
After the end of World War II, one may have expected the world to slow down in a period of struggling recovery. While this may have been the case for some, for others there was a rapid shift in world events, and humanity ran with it. From the development of the hydrogen bomb in 1952 to the release of Sputnik in 1957, technological advancements were reaching new heights, but they weren’t the only scientific breakthroughs (Shepherd 2010). For biological advancements, the 1950s was a decade to remember. Although Watson and Crick's description of DNA in 1953 alone could be considered sufficient in labelling the 50s as a groundbreaking decade, numerous additional biological discoveries aided in what we rely on today.
Below are just a few of the biological advancements that took place throughout the 1950s:
Within the focus of molecular cell biology and the nature of genes during the 1950s was the study of bacteriophages and their relationship with genes. With some contribution of Salvador E. Luria and Max Delbrück’s work in 1943, scientists Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase were able to determine that DNA, not proteins, was genetic material. To read more on the works of Hershey, Luria, and Delbrück click the button to the right!
What was the Luria-Delbruck experiment? Click here to find out more!
What was the Luria-Delbruck experiment? Click here to find out more!
The 1950s Woman
The 1950s Woman
To fully understand the role of women in the 1950s, it’s important to understand the vast amount of changes that had to occur in the previous decades.
During the 1930s, the role of women in society was slowly shifting to be more industrialized, but there was still a priority for women to be wives and mothers first (Hyde 2000). Although it was beginning to become more acceptable for women to join the workforce, there was still an expectation for women to maintain their “femininity” - in other words, they were expected to preserve relationships that allowed men to feel physically and intellectually superior in their relationship (Hyde 2000). Part of this was ensuring that a woman managed her body to fit beauty standards and part of it was controlling her behaviour when around others so as not to appear “too” intelligent for her own good (Hyde 2000).
Once World War II hit and the majority of men were conscripted for war, there was a large demand for women to step up in the industrial world. Turning into the leaders of their households meant women were taking on more responsibility than they ever had, although this was characterized as “extraordinary and out of character” during extraordinary times (Hyde 2000). Seeing as the men would be returning at some point, there was still pressure on women to maintain their physical appearances, advertised as a means to “keep” a husband in the shortage of men arriving back home (Hyde 2000). Not only were they to keep up their appearances, but women were encouraged to find social roles that would increase their societal value in the eyes of men (Hyde 2002).
After the war ended and the men returned home, the pre-war perspective of a domesticated woman was restored. Although most women left the workforce and returned to their households, some chose to take on new opportunities outside of the home (Hyde 2000). For those who reclaimed their role in the home, a slight power shift had occurred; not only were women expected to mother the children, but they were now expected to take care of their husbands, as well (Hyde 2000). By the late 1950s, this slight shift increasingly framed women as being competent rather than helpless (Hyde 2000). This construct grew into the 1960s when traditional notions of femininity and women were challenged with an emphasis on independence and open political awareness (Hyde 2000).
How did these shifting perspectives impact the role of women in science? Click on the "Chase in a World Full of Men" button below to find out!
Click the buttons below to find out more about the three scientists who shared the 1969 Nobel Prize and to find out more about the Nobel Prize statistics on women.
Click the buttons below to find out more about the three scientists who shared the 1969 Nobel Prize and to find out more about the Nobel Prize statistics on women.
References
References
Flannery M, Jaskot B, Waller P. 2013. A history of NABT's 75 years: the 1950s: the second decade (1951-1960). The American Biology Teacher. [accessed 2023 Dec 2];75(4):239-241. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2013.75.4.4
Hyde P. 2000. Managing bodies - managing relationships: The popular media and the social construct of women’s bodies and social roles from the 1930s to the 1950s. Journal of Sociology. [accessed 2023 Nov 7];36(2):133-272. https://doi.org/10.1177/144078330003600202.
Shepherd GM. 2010. Creating modern neuroscience: the revolutionary 1950s. New York (NY): Oxford University Press; [accessed 2023 Dec 2]. EBSCOhost eBook Collection.
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