“except for a brief period in the 1950s when women were supposed to be the lady of the manor if they were well off (playing golf and bridge all day), or, if they weren’t well off, mom-as-live-in-help who dreamed only of new floor-cleaning products”
And don’t forget that some of the 50s moms were playing the role of Rosie the Riveter while their husbands/fathers/fiances fought WWII!
I have always thought that the 1950’s “ideal housewife” was basically a reaction to the 1940s, when a lot of women found themselves having to work in uncongenial environments and jobs, partly because of the war effort and partly because their husbands were away for a long time (and a GI’s pay wasn’t exactly generous!).