Women in the Media Throughout Time

There has been a shift in the role of women in the media throughout time. Back in the early stages women were portrayed as housewives, indicating that their only role in this world took place in the home. One such character that personifies this idea is June Cleaver from the 1950's hit show "Leave It to Beaver."



June is a mother of two young boys, who spends her days cooking and cleaning up after the men in her life. It was rare to see June without her apron on and she always had a smile across her face. This character was typical of that era.

Now the media has taken to portraying women as headstrong, office moguls in some instances. Such is the case with Meryl Streep's Oscar-nominated role as Miranda Priestly from "The Devil Wears Prada."



Miranda is a big-time magazine editor with a ruthless character and no nurturing qualities about her. She has left behind the typical role of a woman to pursue the professional life.

BUT sometimes we are delighted with characters that portray more of a real-life woman. They are mothers or working women, who have not lost their nurturing abilities, but are also not overly optimistic clones. They have senses of humor and are easy to relate to. Take Debra from "Everybody Loves Raymond" who is a stay-at-home mom but is not a June Cleaver by any means.



She is witty, sensible, and educated but is a loving mother and wife who deals with real-life situations. Hopefully we see more female characters like Debra in our media.