The world was a very different place sixty years ago. The men came home from the war to take back the work force, and women were forced back into the home. Everything had to be cookie cutter perfect, including the gender roles. In the BBC Television show, Call the Midwife, the roles for both genders have been portrayed as they were back in the 1950’s. The men were the breadwinners of their family, they were expected to work arduous hours and were not expected handle the dirty work of the household; the women were pressured into getting married early, birth many babies, and never indulge in their aspirations for a career outside of the home.
The war engrained men to be the defenders of their nation. As they came home, that role spilled into their everyday lives. They became the defenders of their home and family. They strived to put food on the table and a roof over their family’s head. They were looked down on if they could not meet the needs of their family or keep them in line as seen in Episode 2 of series 3. A husband found out that his wife cheated on him after she gave birth to a black baby. His reaction was violent as her betrayal …show more content…
Author Jill Todd reported that, “today nine out of 10 dads see their children being born,” but it did not use to happen years ago because part of the dirty work of the household was birthing babies (Todd). In the very first episode of Call the Midwife, Cynthia Miller exclaimed, “What? A father stayed in the room?” after Sister Bernadette explained the birthing situation with Mr. Warren and his wife. Men were made to pace the hallways of their homes as their wives were in labor with their child. Being in labor was viewed as very private feminine business between the mothers-to-be and the midwives so men were not allowed in the room until everyone was cleaned up, and all evidence of the labor was erased with the exception of the newborn