Well,it's a good film for gender studies...

Rating: 9/10 (14 February 2002)

Here's a few of the gender themes that I've found thus far: The Best Years of Our Lives
1. The New Woman vs. The Fallen Woman(Peggy and Marie) Peggy comforts Fred when he is scared, cares for the sick, helps out in the war effort, and is kind and domestic. She, like Fred, wants a nice house in the suburbs.

Marie doesn't want the house. She wants to be young, have fun, and she cheats on Fred. She also tries to make him go out to dinner and wants to spend her own money.
Of course, Fred's cheating kiss is seen as excusable,because of her wicked behavior.
2. Independent Women are lustful and sinful(Marie)
Example: Marie has a career as a singer,which allows her to display her sexual side by seducing men with her siren's song. Fred wants her to give up her nightclub career.
3. Domestic women must look respectable(Marie) Example:She doesn't "look like a wife" according to Fred's comrades. She's blond, made up, and sexy. She's what men want to f***-not to marry. Fred made a mistake by marrying a "whore."
4. Women must submit their household status to the returning male member(Millie & Al) Example:"I'm the head of the household again," Al says. Too bad Al has been away so long that has no idea what is going on in the house. Plus, he's a still living through the war in his head. Wouldn't it be more logical to have Millie make more of the decisions for awhile?
5. A woman must be a mother and a sexual being(Wilma and Homer's relationship) Example:After helping Homer remove his hooks, Wilma kisses him erotically. Homer admits that without his hands he is, "As helpless as a baby."
6. Infidelity is forgivable if your wife isn't ideal (Fred and Peggy)
Even though Fred is married to Marie,he kisses domestic Peggy. The film makes this excuseable,since Marie is such a wanton woman.
7. Women don't need intellectual connections/respect to fall in love-they just need a chance to nuture(Peggy and Fred)
Fred hits on Peggy before he even goes home to see his wife. But Peggy calms Fred after his night terror. She's a new woman ,after all, and she is willing to act like a doormat to comfort the returning GI's. The two of them share a lunch and all of a sudden they're in love. Peggy has had one decent conversation with this fellow. She refers to him as broken and hints to her parents that she could fix him now that his wife has tossed him aside. These are just the gender themes. There are so many other fun things that can be pulled out of this movie(vets will adapt to home life, let's move to the suburbs, let's stand up for soldiers rights, what if there is another depression,etc,etc,etc).