Throughout history, equality between the sexes has been rare. In essence, «the roles covered by the two sexes do not entail the same power and the same privilege» (Marini 105). This aspect of gender suppression is present in American society even as you read this passage, but female oppression was largely prevalent in the early 1900s (Marini 107). Therefore, this overarching theme of female subjugation and gender roles stimulated the exploration of equality and the feminist movement, of which sociologist Mirra Komarovsky was an important and influential thinker. He studied fifty-nine families between 1935 and 1936 and noted the dynamics of Depression-era marriage by exploring the identities of husbands who suffered unemployment for at least a year. With the help of his partner Michael Kimmel, Komarovsky reveals the common male identity of provider and the female role of obedient housewife that swept the Depression era; however, some participants were noted to have developed alternative work identities of husband and father. However, the complex of their family dynamic observances is expressed as follows: “In the traditional patriarchal view of the family, the husband is expected to support and protect the wife, and she, in turn, takes care of her family, honors and obey him." (Komarovsky, Kimmel; 2). The restricted role of women during this era undoubtedly left women feeling hindered and dissatisfied with their limited freedoms, allowing the emerging ideas of feminism to shape America's philosophy and material culture. Amid this power struggle of the sexes, author John Steinbeck was hastily carving his niche into the rock that is American literature. While he was drafting his most popular piece of literature, “The… Middle of the Paper… On the Status of Man in Fifty-Nine Families.” Classics in Gender Studies (2004): 185. AltaMira Press. Network. June 10, 2014.Lewis, Leon. "The chrysanthemums." Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition (2004): 1-3. Literary reference center Plus. Rete. 11 October 2012.Marini, Margaret Mooney. “Sex and gender: what do we know?” Sociological Forum 5.1 (1990): 95-120. JSTOR. Network. October 16, 2012. Price, Victoria. "The chrysanthemums." Main plots 4th ed. (2010): 1-3. Literary Reference Center Plus. Network. 7 October 2012. Renner, Stanley. "The real woman inside the fence in 'The Chrysanthemums'." Modern Fiction Studies 31.2 (1985): 305-317. John Hopkins U Press. Network. June 18, 2014.Steinbeck, Giovanni. "The chrysanthemums." Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama, and writing. 11th ed. New York: Longman, 2005. 226-233. Press.