American Women in the 1920

The 1920s was a major turning point in American history. Known as “the roaring twenties”, the citizens of the United States enjoyed the new found wealth from the economic turnaround. The United States’ wealth more than doubled as the nation turned into a consumer society. Not all Americans were fond of the changes in society, and not all of the changes were good.

The 1920’s which was also called the Roaring Twenties was a era of economic prosperity and dramatic social change. The 19 amendment that was ratified on August 1920 gave the right of women to vote and the impact of World War I resulted in women questioning traditional morals and values, becoming rebellious. When men left for the war it caused women to have new jobs such as working in factories. Also, “the number of women attending college rose to 10% of the population by the end of the 1920's." Due to women having the opportunity to have jobs and go to college women became more mobile. The corset limited women to be mobile in this era which caused the production of coresets to quickly decline. Less women wearing corset made their figure to be more boyish and straight. The women of this era was called the Flappers, free spirited women, representing the new change of how women looked. The Flappers “lacked hips, breasts, and a defined waist”. They would dress in dresses above their knee and ankle showing more legs and having bare arms. They would also stray away from having long hair and cut their hair into a bob to symbolize freedom and independency. As a reason of women questioning traditional values they began to drink, smoke and be more sexual in this era. The 1920’s was also the age of Jazz which influenced women to go out and dance and women having more flamboyant and exuberant moves. In the 1920’s to be equal among men they had to have a figure of men,

During the first World War I women were left at home to try and figure out how they were going to care for their families. Their husband, father, and brothers were sent off to war. Many companies around the United States were left with production needs and little to no employees to do the job. In a time period, where women are expected to be confident and independent, they had to also realize they had little to no power in society. They had societal rules that they must stay at home to cook, clean, and care for the children. With the men who were prominent in their lives coming and going from war. These factors caused the birth of a new era. This is the era where women were emerging. Women were changing by being more independent sexually and expressing their emotions through music, poetry, and movies.

The 1920s was the time of prosperity that undertook drastic changes in the political and social lives of Americans. By the end of the decade, American culture have changed from traditional to modern values. This era is also known as the “Roaring 20s” because of the economic growth, jazz, as well as the luxurious lifestyle people of that time experienced. As everyone changes, their culture also takes a turn. Many women had a more open minded way of thinking in terms of their appearances and actions.

These pictures represent the “new women” of the 1920`s. One of the many things the 1920`s is known for is the “new women”. The “new woman” was a feminist ideal, where they spent a lot of their time protesting for the right to vote, and be able to have the same jobs as men. The first picture in the collage shows women who are holding a banner that is telling the president that women deserve liberty. It took a lot for the 19th amendment to be ratified, including a lot of protesting to get people's attention. The women of the 20`s wanted social justice and equality.The second picture shows women who are holding another sign that represents the right for women to vote, just like men. Before 1920, when they made it legal for women to vote, activist

It was not until after the Civil War that these ideas started to change in America. “Dozens of women’s colleges were founded after the Civil War, and many formerly all-male colleges began admitting women.” (Shi and Tindall, pg. 569) By 1900 nearly one-third of college students were women (pg.569) In the early 1900’s women began to liberate themselves from the home, their social roles, and even some of their character traits. New public venues for female interaction were created, from charitable associations to women’s clubs. The increase of female interaction brought a means to change the lack of female influence in government. In 1869 the National Woman Suffrage Association was founded by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, which not only campaigned for woman suffrage, but also for new laws to make an abused wife get a divorce easier and for female workers to get higher pay (pg. 712-714) It was not until the spring of 1919 after WWI that the Nineteenth Amendment was passed giving women a Constitutional guarantee of their right to vote (pg. 775). Women gaining the right to vote was one of the greatest social developments that happened in America because since women made up forty percent of the electorate they had the capability to change the course of politics (pg.

Their clothes became less restricted and flowy, giving them much more freedom to move and work. Where women were once expected to have long hair, short hair was now a sign of freedom. Make-up was popular, and more available. Sales boomed thanks to advertising. In the 1920s, women smoked in public and drove cars, which were not acceptable before the war. Women had more leisure time when labour-saving inventions like vacuum cleaners and washing machines decreased their housework. If they had a car, as many did, they were no longer so bound to the home. Overall, household and domestic consumer goods became more common, and these were targeted at

The 1920s also brought American women increased personal and sexual freedoms. As the United States steadily urbanized—for the first time more than half of all Americans lived in cities—women could escape the yoke of parental control or repressive marriage by moving into

The 1920s had a big impact on American life all around; however, one of the biggest changes during this time period was in the roles of women. During this time period, women started dressing different, leaving the house, getting jobs, and gaining rights. On top of all of that, they had a bigger role in education, they began taking parts in politics, and divorce became more of a common thing. This may not seem like a big deal to people today, but this was very important at the time. Prior, women had next to no rights. They lived to wait on and please their husbands. Women rarely even left the house. This time period could be said to have paved the way for modern day feminism and women’s roles. This was the time period when they began to be free and stop worrying about how society thought they should live. However, the question still remains: Did the changing roles of women in the 1920s really have a significant effect on women’s roles today? In the next few pages, one will be given examples of women’s role before, during, and after the 1920s. In each paragraph, the roles, rights, impacts, and more that women had at these times will be explained. To conclude, a comparison on how women were thought to act in these different time periods will be made in order to come up with an answer for the question stated above.

The 1920s was an era of rapid change and major success for the American people. Many factors such as women’s rights contributed to the advancement of America. The 1920s was a age of social and political change that embodied the beginning of modern America by presenting “Lost Generation” literature and innovative technologies such as the Model T Ford.

The 20s was filled with bright means of entertainment such as flappers, prosperity was fresh in the air and the economy was booming. Progressivism was at its all time boom and companies, economy and inventions and even ideals all seemed to be cherishing this golden age, as well as entertainment industries. New inventions such as the refrigerator were beginning to make lifestyle for families much easier, some of this ease was placed on the shoulders of women. Young women were no longer keeping up with the roles and standards that were tightly binded pre- war times, and general youth was relabeling what the norm was, courting,

The economy grew rapidly in the 1920s. The automobile had great impact. Through model changes and advertising, sales were stimulated. New consumer goods such as steel, gasoline, and road construction increased the growth of other businesses. Of all steel output in the 1920s, one seventh was used toward the manufacturing of automobiles. A nationwide search for oil deposits brought workers and money to the Southwest. A numbered highway system supported the rapid appearance of service stations, diners, and motels. As the economy grew, so did technology. The radio brought distant events into millions of homes. The washing machine, vacuum cleaners, and irons made household chores more efficient. With the growing economy, consumer credit allowed

In the 1920’s women did not have very many rights. They had just started to work outside of their homes and in the factories. These women wanted to help support their husbands and sons that were away at war during World War I. This gave them a sense of power and led them to wanting more respect than they were receiving from the men. Being a woman was not the only problem that some faced in America, but being an African American woman in America was extremely difficult. This made it hard to find jobs and this affected the black males as well, but the females were hit with a double slam when it came to being a minority. Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman was an African American woman. She was the first African American woman to receive an aviation license.

For many centuries, women and men were not treated equally. After the Civil War, women had many essential successes that helped them earn respect. Throughout all of history women have not been seen as true equals to men. Women did not realize the extent of the matter at hand until after the Civil War.

Former president John F. Kennedy once said, “If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.” Back in the 1930’s, this was a rare and very unpopular opinion, especially in the south. Blacks suffered extreme discrimination and Jim Crow Laws while women were regarded as foolish and inferior to men. Now, in 2018, there is equality for all, upheld by the law and supported by society. There are many differences in social roles and standards from the 1930’s and in today’s society of equality and opportunity for all.