ve marriage uppermost in her mind. Most formerly-married women in situation comedies at the time were typically widowed, though two programs in the 1970s featured divorced women--Fay and One Day at a Time. Women have always been more frequently portrayed in comedy roles than in serious roles on television. The commission found that women in situation comedies in the 1970s still tended to be subordinate to the men in their lives, though some female characters had become stronger over the years and some new situations were explored:
The new situation comedies are attempting to portray women more realistically than in the past. Willingness to explore controversial issues has resulted in the treatment of issues pertinent to women: rape, unwanted pregnancy, or job discrimination. Furthermore, the attempt to deal with issues such as these seems to have enriched the portrayals of the females in situation comedies (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 23).
Dramatic shows presented woman in less traditional roles as well. Police women were featured in P
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