Cover of The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan

The 1960s was a transformational decade which saw significant social change such as the Civil Rights Movement and Second Wave Feminism. More women were seeking a life outside of the home and were seeking employment opportunities. This essay will discuss the societal shift to women working outside the home, the statistics of freezers in the 1960s and how the Space Race and freezer relate to each other.

The cookbook Freeze with Ease shows the duality of the societal roles that women had in the 1960s. It acknowledges both the housewife and the working woman which is shown through this section titled “The Working Housewife”. The 60s had many advancements for women as they became seen more as full members of society. In 1961, the President’s Commission on the Status of Women was created to offer policy advice on women’s issues (Pedriana 2006, 1719). Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibited employment discrimination on the basis of sex (Pedriana 2006, 1718), making it easier for women to break into the workforce. It also provided workplace protection to women. There was also a lot of influence to go against the role of a housewife. In 1963, Betty Freidan wrote the best-selling book The Feminine Mystique which critiques life as a housewife and explains why many women would face dissatisfaction with that way of living (Khan Academy, n.d.). In 1966, the National Organization for Women was formed and they fought for equal rights for women. This group fought to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (Khan Academy, n.d.)

Vintage advertisement for a chest style home freezer

Freezers that were separate from the refrigerator, also known as home freezers, were introduced in 1940 (United States Department of Agriculture 1960, 405). The United States, Department of Agriculture, released information in 1960, detailing facts about the home freezer. Standing freezers tended to be more expensive than chest style freezers, but standing freezers were the most purchased style in 1959 (United States Department of Agriculture 1960, 405). Other findings show that in 1960, only 18% of American households had a home freezer (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1963, 39). Having a separate freezer was not a common thing in the 1960s.

The 1960s was also a time of innovation and a desire for futuristic technology which can be seen in model houses of the future and cartoons like The Jetsons, that aired in the 1960s. This is due to the Space Race where the U.S. and the Soviet Union competed to show off space flight capabilities which translates to military power. This can explain the need for a cook book utilizing freezers because it shows how an essential life can become a convenient and easy task through technologies, such as a freezer.

Freeze with Ease was written in a time where society was transitioning through many changes that still affects life today. The cookbook’s purpose is to provide convenience to a woman who cannot spend all of her time in the kitchen. This cookbook shows the signs of the changing times and how much technology can give aid to women who desired have a career and excel in her family life.