pbFrom Beatniks to Sputnik and from Princess Grace to iPeyton Placei, this book illuminates the female half of the U.S. population as they entered a brave new world that revolutionized women's lives.b pAfter World War II, the United States was the strongest, most powerful nation in the world. Life was safe and secure--but many women were unhappy with their lives. What was going on behind the closed doors of America's picture-perfect houses pThis volume includes chapters on the domestic, economic, intellectual, material, political, recreational, and religious lives of the average American woman after World War II. Chapters examine topics such as the entertainment industry's evolving concept of womanhood Supreme Court decisions the shifting idea of women and careers advertising rural, urban, and suburban life issues women of color faced and child rearing and other domestic responsibilities. pA timeline of important events and glossary help to round out the text, along with further readin