A lot of the older generation during that time objected to the changes that society was making, though, because they saw rock and roll music as vulgar and felt that young people were growing up too fast and without the right kinds of morals and values that the previous generation had going for it. Another thing that changed with the way that society viewed young women and teenage girls was the concept of work. The concepts of 'women's work' and 'men's work' are no longer as strong as they used to be, and those teenage girls of the 1950s deserve part of the credit for that. For example, there are men that are full-time, stay-at-home 'moms,' and there are women who work in construction, drive tractor trailers, and perform other masculine occupations. These individuals are still in the minority, but their numbers are growing as society comes to realize that there are many occupations that men and women are equally good at. There are still some things that women cannot do as well as men and vice versa, and women also still do not get paid on the same level as men in many areas of employment.

Despite this, however, there is much more equality in the workplace and in the rest of society as a whole than there was even 35 or 40 years ago. Women have more rights and they are more accepted, and men that do not have traditionally male careers are no longer as often viewed as being homosexual or having issues with their masculinity. The equality that is seen is still not complete, however, as there are professions that...

This happens more often with women than it does with men, and even though women are accepted into jobs that they previously could not have held they often find that there is a 'glass ceiling' that they cannot get past. In other words, men are often promoted faster and easier than women, even if their qualifications are basically the same. Discrimination based on gender (and many other categories) is not legal, so employers must be careful about promotions, raises, and other issues, but there are ways around the problem for many of them.
Even though this is still the case, however, there is much more equality seen in the workplace and in the rest of society when it comes to gender than there used to be, and with books like Schrum's it can be seen that the women of today have the teenagers of the 1950s to thank for a lot of that. Their influence was strong enough to begin a change that is still moving ahead today, and even though there are disputes about whether this change has been good or bad for the most part, it is still important to be aware that it has altered society in a lot of different ways and on a lot of levels. Without the teenagers of the 1950s and their interest in some of the cultural concerns of that time period, society would be a very different entity. It is impossible to know whether it would have been better or worse than it ultimately became, but Schrum is able to remind everyone who reads her book of the importance of culture in general.