In 1959, at the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow, in front of a model American kitchen full of appliances, Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev sparred over the advantages of the two countries' economic systems. Nixon pointed to the dishwasher on display: 'In America, we like to make life easier for women.' Vice President-elect JD Vance described the ideal American family as one in which the woman's primary role is as a stay-at-home mother. He also said Kamala Harris' lack of biological children made her unsuitable to hold a national leadership role. As a scholar of American society and culture, I have found that this conflation of domesticity, patriotism and Americanness can be traced back to the 1950s. During those early years of the Cold War, the traditional nuclear family was perceived as crucial to the nation's security. It also served to illustrate the superiority of the democratic capitalist model. America's leaders promoted...
learn more
