The Portrayed Domesticity in Ladies' Home Journal 1946

Ladies' Home Journal was one of the leading women's magazines in the United States. With its first-ever issue published in 1883, it has been around for over 100 years. Domestic magazines also known as women's service magazines have been a staple since the early years, influencing the vision of what a female 'should be'.

​

Domestic magazines in the 19th century have always placed the idea that men belong to the public world; politics, work, and the marketplace. Women were placed into the private sphere; a world kept away from the outside. They were told that the home was where they were supposed to be. At home, women were directed to only worry about taking care of their children and having dinner ready for their husbands. Although this was very much the case throughout the 19th century, war and violence put a quick stop to it as the men went to fight for their country.

​

In the United States, due to high demand women joined the labor force between 1941-1945. This caused a shift in the role of women as they jumped into the "public world" and did the work that they were once rejected from doing. Women were able to make money and be the "breadwinner" of the family. With the help of women, the United States was able to avoid a major drop in its economy. Soon after the war was over, the government urged women to return to their role as housewives.