What Is The Role Of Women In The 1920s

Jasmine Orellana Mrs. Kehrmeyer English Period 3 11 April 2018 The Nineteenth Amendment The Nineteenth Amendment of the United States says that the government cannot deny a citizen the right to vote because of their sex. This amendment was passed by congress on June 4, 1919 and more than a year later, on August 18, 1920, the amendment was ratified and put into action. This amendment did allow many opportunities that women didn’t have before, but at the same time, women had to work twice as hard for something a man would get easily.

Although Eleanor Roosevelt attempted to help the women, the deal greatly discriminated against women. As seen in through the National Industrial Recovery Act, the positions of the women were clearly seen and the inequalities were very conspicuous. Despite it all, some women saw success especially in the area of protection for the organized labor. Additionally, the women were extremely active in participating in strikes for demands of fair working conditions. Yet, despite it all, women were greatly discriminated against in the New Deal program.

One of the biggest factors that caused the roles of women in the united States to change during the 1920’s was the work they did during World War I. While the men were serving overseas, the women stepped into the men’s jobs and made up the majority of the labor force at that time. This allowed women the chance to show that they can do some of the same jobs that men could do. After the war, the number of women in the workforce increased by twenty-five percent. This opened up more opportunities all over the country to earn their place in providing for their families. Another thing that changed for women, during the 1920’s was “flappers”.

In the early 20s, women’s role in politics, the workforce, and with themselves started to change. The nineteenth amendment gave women the right to vote, but surprisingly some women did not want to vote. The idea was that a woman should not concern herself with anything other than the home and that they should leave business and politics to the men. Because of this thought system voting remained a middle and upper class activity and so the working class was still unrepresented. Also, with the Jim Crow laws imposed by many Southern states barring them from the polls, the voices

"Women, Impact of the Great Depression on." Encyclopedia of the Great Depression, edited by Robert S. McElvaine, vol. 2, Macmillan Reference USA, 2004, pp. 1050-1055. U.S. History in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3404500550/UHIC?u=vol_h99hs&xid=73687bb3. Accessed 1 Mar. 2018.

Unlike white men, women didn’t even have the right to vote. Most women in this time had a husband that supported her and their family. When married, a women’s "work" life didn't change too much due to the great depression because their duties were inside the home. Women continued to cook, clean, and mend around the house. Although, whenever women did work, they experienced one-quarter less of minimum wage as men performing the same job.

Women in the Progressive Era began with little to no rights at all. They didn't have any other role in society especially for poor white women except to stay at home and do what their husbands tell them to do. Over time women began to give themselves an identity, and rights through feminism, icons, and taking action. They began to make a change and make a bang culturally. Jane Adams on of the first most prominent female activists created this idea of "the new woman," during the Progressive Era.

Though it would be presumed that it was harder for women to get work it was actually the opposite, jobs that were considered “women's work” were less

When her husband was president Eleanor Roosevelt didn't stay in the white house as the first ladies did during that time period, “The most famous cartoon of the decade showed a grinning coal miner, laboring in the bowels of the earth, and crying out in astonishment, “For gosh sakes, here comes Mrs. Roosevelt.” (Eleanor 6) that tradition had set back women's rights for generations. Eleanor Roosevelt had also set weekly conferences which were out of the ordinary for a first lady, but she also had only worked with women's reporters. In her conferences, she often talked about women's rights and other issues that most male reporters wouldn't report on. Eleanor Roosevelt helped become a role model for the coming generations, by showing that the first lady and any other women didn't have to be confined to their homes.

Web. 24 Oct. 2016. With the clear gender roles in place it was hard for females to get jobs, espilacy well paying jobs were they weren’t constantly put down. It was even worse for females of color as discrimination ran rampant during the progressive era, with lynchings, police brutality, mobs, and other dangers out in the world females of color were degraded for not only being women but for being of a different ethnicity. “Comparison, black women only narrowed that gap by 9 cents, from earning 56 cents for every dollar earned by a white man in 1980 to 65 cents today.”

Although still not entirely popular or accepted, women also began to emerge more and more in postsecondary education. Women were only seldom allowed to go to college in the beginning of the 1920’s and when they did, they attended an all-women's school. By 1921 a woman was enrolled in a college that did not traditionally allow women (Benner). This was a monumental step for women’s educational rights. Women were allowed to graduate and become nurses or teachers, the only careers seen fit for women.

Progress Of Women In The 1920 's and 30 's Back in the 1920 's women started becoming extremely significant in the society. Before then, women rarely found jobs that accumulated a high enough income to raise a family. However this act of sexism changed in the early years of the 1920 's, women began to get involved in male dominated jobs. This time it worked, women were finally getting their say in political issues and they eventually got the chance to speak up. The government realized the types of distress and discomfort women went through to keep a healthy lifestyle for their young ones.

Women were subject to a wide-ranging discrimination that marked them as secondary citizens, which is what gilderlehrman.org says. “She had no right to own property in her own name or to pursue career of her choice.” In addition, the article states, “Women could not vote, serve on juries, or hold public office.” Women didn’t have any rights that they wanted and were mostly not allowed to do anything which is unfair. A married woman had no separate legal identity from that of her husband.

The women’s rights movement being an extensive movement helped women to occupy better jobs and higher positions “Increased access to leadership positions is an important achievement because – in terms of gender – the field is more level now: some women will be allies, some are not, but no one is excluded only for being a woman”. Today, women can choose to occupy the jobs that were once titled only for men and they have an equal employment opportunity “Because of workplace rights, women enjoy freedom to work in almost any position they choose. They join the armed forces, work as cab drivers, own businesses and become executives in large corporations” Women can now become ministers, juries, senates, and even the president “1975 — In Taylor v. Louisiana, the court denies states the right to exclude women from juries….1981 — Sandra Day O’Connor is appointed as the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice… 1997 — Madeleine Albright is sworn in as U.S. Secretary of State. She is the first woman in this position.”

Now women are lawyers, engineers, mechanics, computer programmers, and other jobs that have been primarily male dominated for years. Although sexism has been a key problem in the working industry, as evidenced by putting women in lower paying jobs, women today are putting an end by joining the women's movement pushing this issue into the mainstream media and increasing the worlds awareness on an issue that has been around for centuries. Although there were no movements specifically for women's rights to work there were movements for women's rights as a whole. As history tells, men did not believe women had the