Gender Roles & Stereotypes in Mid-20th Century Television: 6 Classic Shows!

In this engaging and interactive resource on Gender Roles in 1950s-60s television, students investigate 6 classic television shows to learn about gender roles and stereotypes in mid-20th century TV. Students watch short video clips from Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, I Love Lucy, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family, and The Jeffersons to learn about gender roles and stereotypes, and how some shows reinforced these views while others challenged them. For each video, students "rank" each show on a spectrum to understand how well they reinforce or challenge the societal norms of the time, then provide evidence to showcase their claim.

This resource is included in the Birth of American Culture (1950s and 1960s Culture) Unit, located here!

Use this interactive resource to teach the gender roles pushed upon women, how African-Americans and women have constantly battled stereotypes and unfair stigma, and how TV was used as both a reinforcer and challenger to what society has accepted.

A final writing prompt is included!

This product includes a teacher key and a full Google 1:1 version!