How did the American society perceive gender issues in the 1950s?

Generally speaking, American society had a very conservative attitude toward gender issues in the 1950s. Even though women had worked factory jobs and filled other traditionally male jobs during World War II, they were essentially told to step aside and let men—who were generally regarded as heroes—take back the jobs that they had held before the war.
The primary role for women was to be mothers and nurturers. Affordable housing became available in the suburbs, and these homes were filled with modern conveniences such as dishwashers, toasters, washing machines, etc. Although many of these appliances had already existed, they weren't widely adopted until after World War II ended. These appliances allowed for an increase in leisure time for housewives.
Women in general also married much earlier in their lives during the 1950s, with the average age being around 20 by the late 1950s. This shows that the role of women was more geared toward raising families than finding a career. In addition, the number of children that women had during the 1950s was also much higher than previous generations—this is why the children born during this time are known as the "Baby Boomers." In fact, the percentage of women who attended college during the 1950s dropped by nearly ten percent compared to the 1920s.
In the 1950s there was an ideal created for women that they should be homemakers, and if they did anything else, they were neglecting their families and were not "good mothers."
Eventually this repression of women in American society gave rise to the feminist movement. The repression of the 1950s was expressed in the book The Feminine Mystique in 1963. Although this book was written after the 1950s, it very much reflected the mindset that American society had toward women at the time and made way for serious changes in the perception of gender roles for decades to come.