A History of Jewish Mothers on Television: Decoding the Tenacious Stereotype

Authors

Myrna Hant, University of California, Los AngelesFollow

Disciplines

Communication | Gender and Sexuality | Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication | Race and Ethnicity

Abstract

Since the inception of television in the 1940’s the stereotype of the Jewish mother has persisted. This archetypal figure continues into the 21st. Century morphing from a purely ethnic figure to an icon depicting ambivalence about modern motherhood. In deconstructing the perpetuation of this portrait, two components are key: the historical significance of the shtetl mother and the writers and comedians who interpret the shtetl mentality. Most importantly, though, the inconsistencies towards mothers, so strongly birthed in the rise of Second Wave feminism, are still embedded in the Jewish mother stereotype.

Recommended Citation

Hant, Myrna (2011) "A History of Jewish Mothers on Television: Decoding the Tenacious Stereotype," Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought: Vol. 5: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.salve.edu/jift/vol5/iss1/3