1920s Flappers Essay

In the 1900’s, women began to fight the battle that would eventually be the win of a lifetime: the right to vote. The 19th amendment finally granted them their wishes. In 1920, women wanted the same rights and equality as men. Women during this time were treated as minorities because they were immigrants, or people of color, but all were unable to vote. These strong and encouraging women put together large groups and organizations to fight for what they wanted. They were fearless and ready for anything that came their way.

Many women of the early 1900’s wanted to be treated fairly and equally to their male counterparts. For a long time, it was not even socially acceptable for a woman to work. As a woman’s job in society started involving be part of the work force, many

For centuries women have been depicted as weak beings when compared to men. In the early days, women were not allowed to go to work because men did not think they had the same abilities as they did. The role of a woman was to stay in the house, cook, clean, and take care of the children. However, through the World War II propaganda poster exclaiming “We Can Do It!” featuring Rosie the Riveter, women were able to prove that they had the same abilities as men and began a revolution in the U.S. workforce.

Generations of women fought courageously for equality for decades. The ratification of the Nineteenth amendment was vindication for so many women across the country. After having spent so many years oppressed and unable to make way for themselves, women everywhere were growing tired of being unable to own property, keep their wages and the independence that an academic education gave them. The decades that ensued brought with them various female activists, men that supported them and a division of its own within the movement. The women’s suffrage movement lasted 71 years and cam with great discourse to the lives of many women who fought for the cause.

After World War I ended in 1918, the United States became a world superpower with a thriving economy. The 1920s was a time of prosperity, symbolized by technological advances, consumerism, and leisure. Along with this affluence, came a movement towards modern values, and as people migrated to large northern cities, these modern values became concentrated in urban areas. As a result, an enormous cultural shift took place that greatly altered the lives of Americans, including women. Women experienced significant political, social, and cultural change beginning in the 1920s, a decade which came to be known as the “Roaring Twenties.”

After world war two majority of women were forced to leave their jobs and return back to the home. However the war set a foundation for women’s rights while feminism was slowly approaching its way into society. The hard work woman put into the war effort was about to be seen by society. Furthermore during the 1950s women were still viewed as full time mothers but the women’s movement would take place in later years.

During World War II there were many job opportunities for women. The war opened new doors during a time of depression. As husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers went to fight in the war the women went to work at factories, offices, and even on military bases. These women went to work in paying jobs that were usually for men. Many women became journalists, photographers and broadcasters. They were covering the biggest story ever, the men that were at war and the women that were at home doing the man’s work. Women even joined the military. They were not put in front line positions but they did important jobs and many lost their lives. During the war it was not only the white

Even though Rosie the Riveter is an image frequently synonymous with the contemporary women’s movement, she was not designed to promote social change or improve the role of women in the workplace during World War II. In reality, she was promoted as the ideal female worker and was patriotic, confident, capable, and beautiful in a large propaganda campaign by the United States government. Since the war caused many men to answer the call to serve in the military, both at home and abroad, the United States was faced with the urgent challenge of recruiting women into the workforce. Rosie the Riveter was their solution to this problem.

Women all around the USA were picking up their husbands wrenches and were going to work. They had finally gotten the share of independence they longed for but, it wouldn’t take long for women to take another step towards ultimate civil freedom. In March of 1942, women were able to step out of their dresses and jump into militant uniform. No longer did they need to become nurses to be in war, but now they had the opportunity to become greater than men. Women took jobs as WASP’s , WAVES and WAC’s . They trained male piolets, tested planes, free men of combat roles and worked as volunteer emergency medics (Berkin, Miller, Cherny, & Gormly, 2015). If women did not get jobs or take lead, women may not have the same freedoms as of the 21st century.

America is the land of opportunity. It is a place of rebirth, hope, and freedom. However, it was not always like that for women. Many times in history women were oppressed, belittled, and deprived of the opportunity to learn and work in their desired profession. Instead, their life was confined to the home and family. While this was a noble role, many females felt that they were being restricted and therefore desired more independence. In America, women started to break the mold in 1848 and continued to push for social, political, educational, and career freedom. By the 1920s, women had experienced significant “liberation”, as they were then allowed to vote, hold public office, gain a higher education, obtain new jobs, drastically change

In 1920, women won the right to vote and they were gradually moving into the male-dominated labor force, but gender roles were not changing much. Due to the World War II draft, many women entered the labor force and even helped run the country. Upon the return of the veterans, many women were forced back into their homes. However, the opportunities for women were broadening and some women began making careers for themselves outside of the home. The 1960’s saw many feminist movements and in 1963 the Equal Pay Act was passed by Congress which enticed more women to get out of the house and into better careers.

Rosie the Riveter was a painting by Norman Rockwell that was published on the cover of Saturday Evening Post, but it soon became much more than a magazine cover. However, his original cover did not resonate with women, so he had to make major adjustments. Originally she was too masculine and too muscular and nobody could relate to her (Lecture Notes March 2nd ). So, he changed her to a softer, more feminine version and this became a huge propaganda tool aimed towards women. Contrary to what had been told to women in the past, they were now being told to go to work. They were being told “if not for you do it for your family and your country” (Lecture Notes March 2nd). So, going to work became the patriotic duty of a woman, it was her way to

Before World War II, women were seen as housewives. Instead of being employed as a secretary or maid, a woman’s only job was to take care of kids, clean the house, and cook for her family. This lack of success and the ability to work outside the home started changing in the late 1930’s. During World War II, the US government started funding money in order to produce propaganda posters. These posters often depicted characters who motivated citizens to join the war or be part of the workforce. One of these characters, Rosie the Riveter, did just that. Designed by J. Howard Miller in 1943, Rosie encouraged women to become independent and join the workforce while men fought in the war through the slogan "We Can Do It." Rosie was the face to a feminist movement that empowered women to show their support and patriotism by working. Because men were fighting in the war, the government needed to recruit women so that weaponry and other materials could be produced. The women indeed stepped up and took over the backbreaking factory labor the men had left behind. The powerful image of Rosie the Riveter won the support of many women during the Second World War to join the work force. This World War II poster, along with the slogan “We can do it,” used ethos and pathos in order to influence women to take over jobs that men would have been doing and ultimately empowered the feminist movement in the 20th

Throughout the twentieth century, both World War I and World War II significantly impacted American society in several ways. From 1917 to 1918, the United States’ involvement in World War I began an increase in the number of women in the workplace that would steadily continue throughout much of the twentieth century. The United States once again played a major role in World War II from 1941 to 1945, and this war is actually seen as a turning point for women in the workplace. During the two world wars, women workers were impacted by discrimination, the danger of the work they completed, and the portrayal of women in propaganda during both world wars, and yet the different time periods of the two world wars led to differences in how women

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Women are like teabags. You don’t know how strong they are until you put them in hot water.” This was never more accurate than in the time of World War II, a period that deeply entrenched women in the movement for equal rights. During these troubling times, women were forced into new occupations that men had previously dominated. This would lead to a new surge of feminism and the fight for equal rights, which can only be traced back to World War II.