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February 10, 2012

The "M.R.S." Degree

 The following is taken from "American Experience | The Pill | People & Events." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/peopleevents/p_mrs.html>.

The "M.R.S." Degree

In the 1950s, women felt tremendous societal pressure to focus their aspirations on a wedding ring. The U.S. marriage rate was at an all-time high and couples were tying the knot, on average, younger than ever before. Getting married right out of high school or while in college was considered the norm. A common stereotype was that women went to college to get a "Mrs." (pronounced M.R.S.) degree, meaning a husband. Although women had other aspirations in life, the dominant theme promoted in the culture and media at the time was that a husband was far more important for a young woman than a college degree. Despite the fact that employment rates also rose for women during this period, the media tended to focus on a woman's role in the home. If a woman wasn't engaged or married by her early twenties, she was in danger of becoming an "old maid."

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