The Good Ole Days

Mad Men is the latest television craze.  I confess, I’m addicted.  It’s easy to get sucked into a world where everyone looks like Barbie and Ken and smoking doesn’t cause cancer. 

The stylish AMC series has won acclaim for its authentic depiction of life in the early 1960’s.  A time when men ruled the world and women waited for them at home wrapped in cellophane with a martini in hand.

Were the good ole days really that bad?  Was there something wrong with Don and Betty Draper’s existence?  I don’t think so.

I like the idea of a man hurrying off to catch the train in a suit and hat.  I don’t even mind the idea of a woman vacuuming in a day dress and pearls – not even if I’m the one doing the vacuuming. 

Sure women’s worlds were much smaller then. 

Today we “get” to go to the office – just like men do.  We have jobs with just as much responsibility.  But I’d argue that we’re still far from equal. 

We’re not equal because when we come home from that office – regardless of whether or not it has a glass ceiling – we’re still the ones vacuuming… and cooking dinner, and taking care of the kids while hubby is reading his newspaper – or today, more likely checking the news online.

I’m for true equality.  A world where work outside and inside the home is equally shared. 

But, in the absence of true equality, I’ll happily take a few steps backwards.  At least I’ll have a nice strand of pearls!