Nine out of ten women think life is more stressful now than it was in the austere 1950s. But were the good old days really that great? JO HAYWOOD finds out.

It was the decade when ironing boards were invented, few families had carpets, TVs or cars, women were expected to stay at home with the children and men were lucky to bring home £8 a week in their wage packet.

Tempting? Probably not, especially if you couldn't take your iPod back in time with you. But, according to a new survey, 92 per cent of women questioned thought the 1950s was a much less stressful decade than today.

Because they are juggling home and work life, modern women feel they have less time to prepare meals and less time to spend with their children and partners. They also believe that diets were healthier in the 1950s, although 78 per cent said frozen food was the best invention since sliced bread.

But was the 1950s really a stress-free time for women?

According to Sherri Steel, curator of social history at York Castle Museum, referring to the 1950s as a cohesive decade is something of a misnomer.

"The decade really runs from 1945 to 1955; the late-1950s bear very little resemblance to the early-1950s at all," she explained.

"Rationing was still in place in the early-1950s and things hadn't really moved on since before the war. We get items in the museum that have initially been dated as 1930s which turn out to be from the 1950s. There really was very little progress for 20 years."

Gadgets and appliances started to make their way to Britain from America, but it took years for them to filter down to working class homes.

"Ironing was still done on the table and many women were still washing in old coppers," said Sherri. "To be honest, women mainly relied on elbow grease and a brush."

Hire purchase was available in the 1950s and you could rent appliances - you could even rent your cooker - but credit was not as rife as it is now. When families bought an appliance it was much more of an event," said Sherri. "They had probably saved up for months, if not years, so it was an important occasion."

Women's lives really began to change when women's magazines took off in the mid-1950s. Their articles on the "perfect home" gave women an aspirational insight into how the Jones's were living for the very first time.

"These magazines were telling women that their homes had to be spotless and they had to look glamorous when their husbands came home," said Sherri. "Tea had to be on the table and they had to look their best.

"It's no coincidence that this is also the time when the full-length apron was replaced by the tiny, frilly pinny."

Pat Marston, 70, of Stutton, near Tadcaster, married and started a family in the 1950s. In general, she believes ordinary people were poorer, but happier.

"It was nowhere near as stressful as it is for women today," she said. "Things were much more straightforward and set out for you.

"We didn't have as many choices and that meant we were less stressed. I went to buy a carpet the other day and was shown hundreds of samples. I changed my mind ten times in about ten minutes and got very flustered. In the 1950s, the choice would have been much simpler; you could have had a blue one or a green one."

Mrs Marston trained as a teacher, but chose to stay at home to look after her two children when they were young. Her husband earned £9 a week as a butcher.

"We didn't have a car and for the first year of our marriage we had newspaper on the floor instead of carpet," she explained. "But that wasn't unusual and we didn't feel particularly deprived.

"Now, because of peer pressure, everyone has to have everything immediately."

Mrs Marston was diagnosed with leukaemia seven years ago; an event which completely changed her view of life.

"I can now see that most of the things that women get stressed about don't matter at all," she said.

War widow Ida Mary Goodrick, 90, of Tadcaster, wouldn't swap her 1950s life for that of a young 21st century mother either, even though they were tough times for her and her son.

"I had to work full-time because my husband was killed in the war," she explained. "All I got from the army was 11 shillings a week (about 55p) until my son was 15.

"Social security was introduced in 1948 and I could have gone on that, but I preferred to work.

"I was very lucky that my parents could look after my son. That took away the stress of working. I had a very supportive family, which I think is probably more unusual now."

Mrs Goodrick blames hi-tech gadgets and appliances for a lot of today's stress - an idea backed up by the new survey.

"I was flogging myself to death this morning pushing the Hoover around," she said. "In the old days we didn't have all these carpets. We had lino and rugs. It was a lot easier."

She also thinks easy access to credit has a lot to answer for.

"When we wanted something we saved for it," she added. "We were never in debt. It just wasn't acceptable. What we had, we owned."

And what they didn't have, they didn't miss. "I did sometimes worry that my son thought he was deprived," said Mrs Goodrick. "But to be honest I don't think either of us ever knew we were deprived. It was just the way things were and we didn't worry about it."

So there's really no chance of a life swap then?

"I wouldn't want to raise a family today," she said. "I am very pleased when I look at all my photographs of my son, my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren and think that my job is done."

If you have memories of the 1950s to share, we would love to hear them. Write to Jo Haywood, Features, Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York YO1 9YN, or email jo.haywood@ycp.co.uk

STRESS FACTS

79 per cent of people believe they have experienced stress in the last year

64 per cent of people incorrectly believe that stress is an illness

Almost a third of people report technology-related pressures as a major source of stress

Death and divorce have been the top two causes of stress for more than 40 years. The number three position has changed, however, from personal injury to financial problems

Men are more likely than women to turn to cigarettes and alcohol in an attempt to deal with stress

25 per cent of people would not take time off work with stress because they wouldn't want their boss to know

From the Stress And Wellbeing report by Developing Patient Partnerships, the organisation behind this year's Dealing With Stress campaign

Updated: 11:55 Tuesday, January 24, 2006