Beth L Bailey, in her book 'Courtship in 20th Century America' helpfully explains (around page 75) what young ladies were being told in the 'Ladies' Home Journal' of 1955....

Attracting men and getting a husband were just steps along the way. A husband was necessary, the base of the pyramid on which she would pile washer-dryers and refrigerator-freezers and sterling and fine china. In this vision, a man is not only an interchangeable commodity, he is ultimately less important than the other commodities he makes possible.