In the fifties, the issue was no longer what CAN women do; they had proved they could work, especially during the World War II years when they took over their husband's jobs or took jobs building war supplies. The issue was now what SHOULD women do. Whether married women should be employed outside of the home at all was the biggest issue. There were rising wages and better standards of living after WWII, and fewer women had to work after marriage in order to take care of their families. Women at this time made up thirty-four percent of the work force. But two-thirds of these women were either teachers or nurses. These occupations mirrored the traditional feminine, nurturing role. Women comprised no more than six percent of doctors, four percent of lawyers, and eight percent of pharmacists. An interesting trend was occurring at this time. The number of Ph.D's granted to women actually declined from seventeen percent of them going to women in 1932 to only ten percent by 1960. Law degrees declined from six percent in 1930 to three percent by 1960. Women in university faculty decreased greatly as did all high professions. Women were getting married earlier and having children earlier in the fifties and sixties. There were a greater number of women working than ever before in history, but these numbers were reflected in low to medium skilled occupations since higher career paths would conflict with their family role. The main concern about women working was the effect it would have on the children. It was imperative that jobs not disrupt wifely duties (through travel, irregular hours, or too much work that takes away from care of husband and children).

The Sound Of Music offers two women that are the potential wife and mother of the Von Trapp household. Maria is spunky but in a feminine way. Her independence from the abbey and finding a job is to be a governess to seven children. This is a job that reflects the traditional female role. The convent setting the movie begins with shows an extinct female world of passivity, virginity, and having no property or possessions. Maria wants more from life than this, but within the context of traditional marriage. She is not passive; she would be an equal partner to her husband. She is not virginal; she would channel her lust properly towards her husband. She does want a home and possessions, but wants these things shared with her husband. This is a change from the film Stella Maris at the beginning of the century: a silent nun-like girl. The woman of the fifties and sixties does have a voice and will be an equal contributor to a marriage.

The Sound Of Music begins with the outside world beckoning Maria outside of the sheltered abbey. However, the "outside world" is simply the mountain she grew up on. It is safe and it is home. She wants freedom, but freedom within the familiar. Maria sings a song about "facing adventure" while she is traveling to her new home to raise children. This "firm but kind" woman makes the Captain's house a home and brings life into it. Maria reintroduces warmth and compassion into the family. Without her, the household was run like a navy ship: all rules and no affection. She has the motherly gift to comfort the children and allow them freedom while simultaneously gaining respect and better discipline out of them. Maria does argue with the Captain and challenge his rules, but it is only to fight for the welfare of the children and the family.

In contrast, the other potential Von Trapp wife and mother is the Baroness, who is not interested in the traditional mother role. What she is interested in is wealth and status. She does not appreciate the Captain's deep sentiments that he shares toward her; she steers the conversation toward why her material possessions and high-powered contacts make her a good marriage candidate. The Captain's wife died and left him with "a terrible heartache"; the Baroness's husband died and left her with "a terrible fortune." Money appears to be everything to her.

Women in the fifties and sixties were expected to fill their predestined role of being a mother. The Freudian concept that "anatomy predicts destiny" was a very popular belief at this time. Women can have children; therefore, this is their life's work. The Baroness, however, is not interested in children at all. If she marries the Captain, she intends on sending away his children to a boarding school. Unlike Maria, she does not know how to play or interact with them at all. The Baroness cannot even make something as simple as a recipie for pink lemonade well. She does not appear to have any domestic attributes. She also does not seem pleased when the Captain is interacting with the children instead of her, especially when they are singing together. Maria had brought the warmth and closeness of family music into the Captain's home; the Baroness's idea of bringing music into the house is to throw a party to show off their wealth and status to the community. When the children are singing for the party guests, she is nervously looking around, worrying about the children's effect on her status. The scene that leaves the worst impression of the Baroness is when she discovers that Maria is interested in the Captain. She is cold-hearted and manipulates Maria into leaving the house and returning to the abbey. She is shown as selfish; she tries to keep the Captain for herself when she knows he does not love her as much as he loves Maria. Maria is the selfless one; the ideal woman who has the strength to give up the man she loves more than anything for the stability of the household (in her mind).