Homeward Bound
The book Homeward Bound, by Elaine Tyler May uncovers many connections between the society and government laws. Some ideas expressed in the book are the roles of women, the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, and the Federal Housing Authority. Everything done by the government has an effect on a society of people, like in the United States.
The first idea express in the book was the role of women. The policy that had some effect on the role of women was the New Deal. In the Homeward Bound, it states that “federal policies supported unemployed males, but discouraged married women from seeking job” (May 49). It was looked down upon if both parents were to have a job during this time period. The Economy Act of 1932 was made to stop both members of a household from getting a job in the federal government (Foner 783).
Society at that time felt that jobs should be left for the males to do. Also the New Deal failed to improve wage differentials, meaning women received less pay for the same job as a man would do. This was to discourage women leaving the home to find work. The next idea was the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944. This act is also called the GI Bill of Rights (May 161).
The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 was a way to reward those coming home from the war. This act gave the men benefits which include unemployment pay, scholarships to go back to school, low- cost mortgage loan, pension and job training (Foner 817). However this act was shown to have racial perception. This law on the surface contains no discrimination, but local authorities who controlled were discriminant against them. Over this entire act was to make it easier on the boys coming home from the war. The last idea goes all most hand in hand with the GI Bill; this is the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) program.
This program dates back to 1934, it provided federal housing insurance for loans to white veterans (May 161). This helped get private investors in to the market. With this act it led to the building of Levitt homes in the suburbs (May 161). Levitt were cheap homes for new family to start out with. The way society changed was a direct connection to the regulations made by the government. Still to this day, society acts based on what the government does.
In this book, it viewed a look at how the government wanted to keep ideas of the American family alive. This was a way to keeping women at home, giving Veterans ways to better themselves, and giving people a way to buy a home cheap for serving the United States. Work Cited Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! Second Seagull ed. Vol. Two.
New York: W.W. Norton &, 2009. Print. May, Elaine Tyler.
Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era. 20th Anniversary ed. New York: Basic, 1988, 1999, 2008. Print.
