Due to the idealization of domestic life in the media, between 1945 and 1959 there was a significantly stagnant period of time for women's rights. Women took the place of men in the workplace fighting overseas in the early 1940s, and a strong feminist movement arose in the 1960s. However, between these time periods, there was a time when women returned home, focusing their attention on caring for children and attending to their husband's every need. This was perpetuated due to the growing popularity of media involvement in the lives of housewives, such as the increase in television sales and the increase in the number of sexist toys. During America's involvement in World War II, which lasted from 1941 to 1945, many men went to fight overseas. This left a gap in defense factories that built war materials, such as tanks and other battle machines. As a result, women began entering the workforce at astonishing rates, filling the roles vacated by men. As stated by Cynthia Harrison, “By March of [1944], nearly one-third of all women over the age of fourteen were in the workforce, and the number of women in industry had increased by nearly 500 percent. For the first time in history, women were in exactly the same place as their male colleagues, even doing the same jobs. Women were not dependent on men, as men were abroad and away from influencing their wives. However, when the war ended and the men returned to their lives, society returned to what it was not before the 1940s, but well before 1900. Women were expected to do nothing but please their husbands. Women were not meant to have jobs or care about what happened... middle of paper... it was helpful to see what information was given to women at the time. YouTube, “Top Ten I Love Lucy Episodes,” YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QEh5vZj0rs (accessed May 23, 2014). This video contained large themes from I Love Lucy, which was the most aired television program at the time, to be recognized, and gave an insight into television programs of the time. YouTube, “Ward Cleaver Teaches Walley About A Woman’s Place,” YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpoVsRanrcc (accessed May 25, 2014). This film, taken from a television episode of Leave It To Beaver, directly states that "a woman's place is in the home", which was a belief held by many men and some women at the time. This was an influential show at the time and this scene was informative in showing what not only women, but also men and children, were being shown about gender roles in society at the time..