--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up in conservative rural Kansas in…" description: "\"I grew up in conservative rural Kansas in the 1950s when it was expected that girls would not have a life outside the home, so educating them was a was..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/sara-paretsky-8563_1950s_i-grew-up-in-conservative-rural-kansas-i_887083.png" --- # I grew up in conservative rural Kansas in the 1950s when… ![“I grew up in conservative rural Kansas in the 1950s when it was expected that girls would not have a life outside the home, so educating them was a waste of time” quote by Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/sara-paretsky-8563_1950s_i-grew-up-in-conservative-rural-kansas-i_887083.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/sara-paretsky-8563_1950s_i-grew-up-in-conservative-rural-kansas-i_887083.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/sara-paretsky-8563_1950s_i-grew-up-in-conservative-rural-kansas-i_887083.png) > “I grew up in conservative rural Kansas in the 1950s when it was expected that girls would not have a life outside the home, so educating them was a waste of time” [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights gender expectations in mid‑century rural America that limited women's opportunities and devalued their education. **In simple terms:** Women were expected to stay home; education seen as unnecessary. Key Takeaway Challenge restrictive norms and support education for all genders. Themes gender roles education rural America women's rights Mood reflective determined hopeful Type personal narrative social commentary historical reflection When to use this quote - advocacy for gender equality - school curriculum design - community outreach - policy reform Key Concepts feminism social expectations historical context Questions to Reflect On - How have gender expectations changed in your community? - What can be done to support girls' education today? A Different Perspective The quote may overgeneralize all rural communities and ignore progressive voices of the era. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [1950s](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1950s-413/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Conservative Rural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative-rural-1109577/) [Expected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expected/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew/) [Grew Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew-conservative-1109580/) [Grew up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew-up/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Kansas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kansas/) [Kansas 1950S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kansas-1950s-1109579/) [Rural Kansas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rural-kansas-1109578/) [That girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/that-girl/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Waste of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste-of-time/) [Wasting time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasting-time/) ## Related quotes > [Latin American culture is conservative, and the rural areas are tremendously conservative. I don't believe that's just a Chilean thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-lelio/latin-american-culture-is-conservative-and-the-rural-areas-are/) [Sebastian Lelio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-lelio/) > [I grew up in a very conservative home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-grew-up-in-a-very-conservative-home/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [I grew up conservative because my mum was a conservative, and when I finally realized what conservatives were, I changed my mind immediately. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/i-grew-up-conservative-because-my-mum-was-a-conservative-and-when-i-2/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [I grew up in such a conservative, judgy town, and it filled me with so much rage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-owens/i-grew-up-in-such-a-conservative-judgy-town-and-it-filled-me-with-so/) [Rick Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-owens/) > [My father grew up very conservative, and he really had set expectations for what boys and girls were supposed to be like. So when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-maines/my-father-grew-up-very-conservative-and-he-really-had-set/) [Nicole Maines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-maines/) > [Mennonites are very conservative. They don't drink, dance, smoke, go to movies. I grew up in a very conservative faith-based community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-r-white/mennonites-are-very-conservative-they-don-t-drink-dance-smoke-go-to/) [David A. R. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-r-white/) > [I grew up in a conservative small town, and the gay characters I saw on TV and in movies when I was growing up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/i-grew-up-in-a-conservative-small-town-and-the-gay-characters-i-saw/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [I grew up conservative because my mum was a conservative, and when I finally realized what conservatives were, I changed my mind immediately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/i-grew-up-conservative-because-my-mum-was-a-conservative-and-when-i/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [I grew up in a conservative household, my parents were small business owners, so it really just was kind of part of who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-pavlich/i-grew-up-in-a-conservative-household-my-parents-were-small-business/) [Katie Pavlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-pavlich/) > [I grew up so conservative. I grew up as an orthodox Jew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-shaffir/i-grew-up-so-conservative-i-grew-up-as-an-orthodox-jew/) [Ari Shaffir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-shaffir/) > [I grew up in a conservative household. That was the life of the time in Egypt: a conservative, middle-class household.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/i-grew-up-in-a-conservative-household-that-was-the-life-of-the-time/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [In the early 1950s, during the near avalanche of discoveries, rediscoveries, and redefinitions of subcellular components made possible by electron microscopy, those prospecting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-emil-palade/in-the-early-1950s-during-the-near-avalanche-of-discoveries/) [George Emil Palade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-emil-palade/) > [In the late 1950s a major topic under discussion was whether Canada should acquire nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/in-the-late-1950s-a-major-topic-under-discussion-was-whether-canada/) [John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/) > [“The 1950s witnessed especially rapid expansion of electronic and electrical firms, of tobacco, soft drink, and food-processing companies, and of the chemical, plastics, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-patterson/the-1950s-witnessed-especially-rapid-expansion-of-electronic-and/) [James T. Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-patterson/) > [Unless you're of a certain age, you may not know my name, but you can Google it - I was a pretty big movie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tab-hunter/unless-you-re-of-a-certain-age-you-may-not-know-my-name-but-you-can/) [Tab Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tab-hunter/) ## More by Sara Paretsky > [Rule number something or other -- never tell anybody anything unless you're going to get something better in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/rule-number-something-or-other-never-tell-anybody-anything-unless-you/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [Heart surgeons do not have the world's smallest egos: when you ask them to name the world's three leading practitioners, they never can remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/heart-surgeons-do-not-have-the-world-s-smallest-egos-when-you-ask/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [I always wrote; my first story was published in the magazine The American Girl when I was 11](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/i-always-wrote-my-first-story-was-published-in-the-magazine-the/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [I'm a grandmother, and a mighty proud one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/i-m-a-grandmother-and-a-mighty-proud-one/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [Organizer is kind of a grand term for what I was doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/organizer-is-kind-of-a-grand-term-for-what-i-was-doing/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [I thought it was time for a tough, smart, likable female private investigator, and that's how VI came to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/i-thought-it-was-time-for-a-tough-smart-likable-female-private/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [Don't tell me I have latent sexism or racism that I need to confront. I don't believe that. I think we are so burned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/don-t-tell-me-i-have-latent-sexism-or-racism-that-i-need-to-confront/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [The possibility of bringing white-collar criminals to justice is ever receding over the horizon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/the-possibility-of-bringing-white-collar-criminals-to-justice-is-ever/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [These events are swirling around them. In the white community, people felt like they had no control over their neighborhoods, their destiny. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/these-events-are-swirling-around-them-in-the-white-community-people/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [No agent wants to see a book until he or she has decided whether to pursue the relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/no-agent-wants-to-see-a-book-until-he-or-she-has-decided-whether-to/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [“But one of them had on an Army medal, a service medal, something like that. Do you know all of Chad's Army friends?" Radke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/but-one-of-them-had-on-an-army-medal-a-service-medal-something-like/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [Live disasters are wonderful attractions when you're safe on the other side of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/live-disasters-are-wonderful-attractions-when-you-re-safe-on-the/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [“about your actions. You keep me totally in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/about-your-actions-you-keep-me-totally-in/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [Around the time I turned 30, I wanted to publish a novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/around-the-time-i-turned-30-i-wanted-to-publish-a-novel/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [I'm very honoured that there is a loyal following and I hope it continues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/i-m-very-honoured-that-there-is-a-loyal-following-and-i-hope-it/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) [Explore all 80 Sara Paretsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) ## More 1950s quotes > [Unless you're of a certain age, you may not know my name, but you can Google it - I was a pretty big movie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tab-hunter/unless-you-re-of-a-certain-age-you-may-not-know-my-name-but-you-can/) [Tab Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tab-hunter/) > [“The 1950s witnessed especially rapid expansion of electronic and electrical firms, of tobacco, soft drink, and food-processing companies, and of the chemical, plastics, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-patterson/the-1950s-witnessed-especially-rapid-expansion-of-electronic-and/) [James T. Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-patterson/) > [In the late 1950s a major topic under discussion was whether Canada should acquire nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/in-the-late-1950s-a-major-topic-under-discussion-was-whether-canada/) [John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/) > [In the early 1950s, during the near avalanche of discoveries, rediscoveries, and redefinitions of subcellular components made possible by electron microscopy, those prospecting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-emil-palade/in-the-early-1950s-during-the-near-avalanche-of-discoveries/) [George Emil Palade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-emil-palade/) > [What we're most aware of in 'Eight-Legged Freaks' is how similar it is to other movies, a recombinant mutated species itself, the product of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/what-we-re-most-aware-of-in-eight-legged-freaks-is-how-similar-it-is/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [I am a product of the 1950s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-jo-rupp/i-am-a-product-of-the-1950s/) [Debra Jo Rupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-jo-rupp/) > [We had a very upwardly mobile economy, and that peaked around the 1950s when the typical middle-class American family consisted of a father with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/we-had-a-very-upwardly-mobile-economy-and-that-peaked-around-the/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [“Nixon had sought the treatment of a psychiatrist throughout the 1950s.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colapietro-roger-stone/nixon-had-sought-the-treatment-of-a-psychiatrist-throughout-the-1950s/) [Mike Colapietro Roger Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colapietro-roger-stone/) > [“Disneyland was one perfect answer. It provided, an almost sacred space where it is permissible and safe to let one's guard down, take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-le-mon/disneyland-was-one-perfect-answer-it-provided-an-almost-sacred-space/) [Leslie Le Mon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-le-mon/) > [“When they reached their ship, Ed gazed out at the bay. It was black. The sky was black, but the bay was even blacker.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-zlotchew/when-they-reached-their-ship-ed-gazed-out-at-the-bay-it-was-black-the/) [Clark Zlotchew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-zlotchew/) > [“In the 1950s at least less was expected of women. Now we're supposed to build a career, build a home, be the supermum that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/in-the-1950s-at-least-less-was-expected-of-women-now-we-re-supposed/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [The whole 1950s notion was find the right girl, get married, move to the suburbs and then hang out with the guys while she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/the-whole-1950s-notion-was-find-the-right-girl-get-married-move-to/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [I started with very tonal 19th-century music because I wanted to be a violinist as a child. So this was my first music, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krzysztof-penderecki/i-started-with-very-tonal-19th-century-music-because-i-wanted-to-be-a/) [Krzysztof Penderecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krzysztof-penderecki/) > [“The country is like a great sponge—it finally absorbs you. Eventually you will get malaria or you will get dysentery and whatever you do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/the-country-is-like-a-great-sponge-it-finally-absorbs-you-eventually/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [“Don't make a career out of underestimating me." — Claire de Haven”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/don-t-make-a-career-out-of-underestimating-me-claire-de-haven/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) [Browse all 123 1950s quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zz-1950s-413/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I grew up in conservative rural Kansas in the 1950s when it was expected that girls would not have a life outside the home, so educating them was a waste of time", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sara Paretsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/i-grew-up-in-conservative-rural-kansas-in-the-1950s-when-it-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "1950s" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/i-grew-up-in-conservative-rural-kansas-in-the-1950s-when-it-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/sara-paretsky-8563_1950s_i-grew-up-in-conservative-rural-kansas-i_887083.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/sara-paretsky-8563_1950s_i-grew-up-in-conservative-rural-kansas-i_887083.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/851/sara-paretsky-8563_1950s_i-grew-up-in-conservative-rural-kansas-i_887083.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I grew up in conservative rural Kansas in the 1950s when it was expected that girls would not have a life…” — Sara Paretsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sara Paretsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I grew up in conservative rural...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/i-grew-up-in-conservative-rural-kansas-in-the-1950s-when-it-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/i-grew-up-in-conservative-rural-kansas-in-the-1950s-when-it-was/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```