After World War II, living in the suburbs became the ideal and goal of middle-class families, financed by the father as breadwinner. Women returned the workplace to men and devoted themselves to their homes, children, and husbands. Popular media portrayed the postwar housewives as happy and content (Coontz, 2011). Psychology of the era claimed that women who worked outside the home were neurotic and suffered from "penis envy." The fashion industry "refeminized" women with clothing that emphasized the bustline and small waist and featured full skirts.
During the postwar retreat into traditional gender roles, Alfred Kinsey and associates’ Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953) were best sellers in spite of (or possibly because of) denunciations of their work by medical professionals, clergy, politicians, and the press (Brown & Fee, 2003). Kinsey’s data pertaining to the prevalence of women’s sexual interest and response were particularly shocking to both professionals and the public. The surprising statistics on same-sex behavior, masturbation, and novel acts in the bedroom contributed to the growing acceptance of a variety of sexual behaviors.
In the 1950s, television, which emphasized suburban social conformity and featured sitcoms portraying married couples in separate beds, entered American homes at the same time as the first issue of Playboy, which emphasized sex as recreation. Together, these media represented a dichotomy that played out through the 1950s.