In the United States in the 1950s, women made incredible contributions to American culture. In terms of popular culture, it was during this time that women appeared on television and in film as lead protagonists (see I Love Lucy, for example) and in music as lead vocalists (see Billy Holiday, for example). In domestic life, women continued - in the wake of World War II - to be essential elements of the workforce. It was during this time that women, by and large, began to be recognized as a economic, popular, and cultural force that was distinct from men.