Cultural References and Gender Roles
Bailey Quarters is cited as an example of how 1970s' sitcoms reflected changing views of gender and women's roles in society and the workplace. One aspect of this is the expectation that women would be treated as people, not as women. The character of Bailey joined WKRP with a journalism degree and advanced from creating promotions to writing news copy to news broadcasting. This progression confirmed that hard work and talent would be rewarded, reinforced values of equality and diversity, and provided female viewers with reassurance of seeing a friendly, supportive workplace, and a character that struggled to be assertive and to overcome shyness, succeeding in gaining the respect of her coworkers.
Bailey Quarters is contrasted not only with the other principal female character, receptionist Jennifer Marlowe, but also with the male characters. Jennifer and Bailey offer, in a blonde-brunette dyad typical of sitcoms of the era, contrasting portrayals of female sexuality from opposite ends of the spectrum. Bailey demonstrated that a woman could be smart and nerdy, but also beautiful. In contrast to Jennifer, Bailey seeks recognition in a "man's" field of journalism. Insecure, shy and chauvinistic newsman Les learns to accept assistance in his job from a woman.
Bailey Quarters was one of the first media examples of the popular naming convention of use of a surname as a first name.
Bailey is one of many television characters referenced in Canadian poet David McGimpsey's book, Sitcom.
Read more about this topic: Bailey Quarters
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