Most women were shown in non-working roles and often at home. Women as low-income earners. Most working women were shown in sectretarial, clerical, or blue collar positions. Non-working women in decorative roles and in idle situations. Often, the presence of women was not substantially related to the product advertised.
Women have limited purchasing power.
This reflects the observation that females were depicted as decision makers only for small-ticket items for the home. Even though there were 29 million women in the labour force at that time. Women do not make important decisions or do important things. Women were shown as independent only when inexpensive items or simple decisions were involved. Women are dependent and need men's protection.