Abstract
The 1976 soap opera parody series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was created by Norman Lear and aired on a network of independent television stations. It presented an America where women were breaking out of their traditional gender roles for the first time and pursued full careers. The title character takes the audience on a full journey from housewife to breadwinner and community leader. Using Simone de Beauvoir’s book The Second Sex as a guide, this qualitative contextual analysis examines Mary’s journey through her marriage, motherhood, social life, love life and career. It also looks at how the series portrays feminism in American society in the mid-1970s and finds that Mary was a strong role model for American audiences.