The Changing Role of Women in 1920s

“During the war about half of American women worked outside of their homes,”( Hughes 2). The number of working women rose from fourteen point six million in nineteen forty one to nineteen point four million in nineteen forty four. “Women were not just motivated by wages or patriotism; but buy the feeling of independence that they gained from the work,” (Hughes 2). Without women laborers the US economy would have never been able to produce military hardware to be successful in the war. Even though women played a huge role in the work force during the World War II, they also played an even bigger role in the war itself. Women played several different roles in the actual war. “A few of women’s roles in the actual war of World War II would be army nurses, spies, pilots and entertainers,” (Scott3). Women served as army nurses during World War 11, there were than seven thousand active nurses on duty when the United States entered the war. “Women also served as pilots, on September tenth nineteen forty two, Nancy Harkness Love, with the support of th U.S. Air Transport Command, organized twenty five women pilots into the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (W.A.F.S),” (Scott3). Women pilots were used to serve non- combat flights, to free the men for combat flights. “Women spies of the World WarII , they were often successful and unsuspected since people suspected women that women’s properly roles were solely domestic,” (Scott3). Lastly

The wartime jobs produced lasting careers and life-style changes for women. Some of the jobs they did were telephone operators, factory workers, seamstresses, and physicians. Most of the women that were hired for these jobs were young and unmarried because they had fewer obligations to attend. This meant, they could work long hours with little pay since they did not have a family to provide for. It was

Before World War I and World War II, women at home had the roles of maintaining duties for their family and children, such as cleaning, caring for the house, and cooking for the family. They were more likely judged by their exquisiteness rather than their ability. Just before World War I began, women were beginning to break away from the traditional roles they had played at home. Throughout both World Wars, women in the United States faced similar challenges, however, during the Second World War; women were trusted with much more freedom and responsibility than they had in the First World War.

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.

Up until the 1920s, women’s struggle for their right to vote seemed to be a futile one. They had been fighting for their suffrage for a long time, starting numerous women's rights movements and abolitionist activists groups to achieve their goal. “The campaign for women’s suffrage began in earnest in the decades before the Civil War. During the 1820s and 30s, most states had enfranchised almost all white males (“The Fight for Women's Suffrage” ). This sparked women to play a more emphatic role in society. They began to participate in anti-slavery organizations, religious movements, and even meetings where they discussed that when the Constitution states "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain

Although mostly ignored, women were the backbone of the accomplishment of WW2. While their men were off fighting in Asia, Africa and Europe, the women worked in defence plants, became cooks and housekeepers. They also managed their households, and wrote letters to the soldiers so that they were always happy.

Women's Lives Before the 1920s Before the 20's, lives of women were considerably awful as there were many difficulties for women such as inequity. During and before WW1, which broke out on July 28th, 1914 continuing for more than 4 years until November 11th, women were considered as the second citizens. Women were treated less importantly than men, and had to face discriminatory as their suffrage, marriage, occupation, and even their attitudes were restricted. For instance, they were struggling to earn their opportunity to work until there was a lack in men in the labor force. 10 Most Significant Events Significant change in women's fashion During this era, women were expressing their selves more than ever.

Women were given job opportunities in world war 1 because a lot of men went off to go fight in the war. There was a very high demand for weapons and although at first they were skeptical about hiring women to do a mans job the women were needed. Women were recruited through campaigns and recruitment drives[1]. Jobs that were given to women during world war I consisted of railway guards, postal workers, police, firefighters, bank teller and a lot of factory jobs for machinery. Although these job opportunities were a big step for women it created a wages and right problem. The women were getting paid way under of what the men would have gotten paid, even though they were doing the men’s jobs. The women workers on the London buses and trams started

Even in opportunities that were considered “feminized”, positions were very low and wages even more so. Despite this, women began holding jobs as clerks and book keepers, stenographic and as typists. The lack of improvement was emphasized by the fact that if any men worked in this field, it was only as a step to advance their career, rather than a permanent spot as it was for many women everywhere. In the 1940s, women who were primarily forced into white-collar jobs which included clerical work, sales, nursing, social work, and teaching, expended their possibilities in food service, personal care, and beauty salons which became an increasingly feminine domain.

During this time it was very difficult for women. Their job or status quo kept on being switched because of the war. The men needed to fight so the women took on their roles. They were successful at what they did. Even after the war with everything they fought for during the war at home, they were just shoved back to how things were.

This time period changed many aspects of the average woman. When you think of the 1920’s, you think of glitz, glamour, and the beginning of fashionista, Coco Chanel. In history, we can all remember the modest look of the average woman. In the 1920’s they ditched big dresses with petticoats and went for a different look. I admire how fashion took a turn during this time period because as a woman, I love to see other women taking a stand and doing what they want to feel comfortable and beautiful in their own skin. I would also love to ask Coco Chanel to make me an outfit. Although fashion is very important, the most significant thing that happened for women in the 1920’s is the 18th Amendment was passed. Women were able to voice their opinions and vote. I am an African American and although I could not have voted at that time, I am happy that women were able to take a stand and have a say so in the government. The average woman in the Roaring Twenties is not the same as the average woman in this day and age, but they set an example for

Single or unwed women, who did work, occupied low skill low income jobs in the food and textile industries or as domestic servants. However, World War I catalyzed a change, a social revolution for women. Altering societal perceptions of women, as persons to be protective and kept out of harms way, the war mobilized women for the first time into position of active duty on the frontline as telephone operators, clerical worker and nurses. As the men went off to war, labour shortages created jobs and opportunities for women, which were previously reserved for men.

Women had to “step up to the plate” during WW1 and earn money for their families while their husbands were gone. In the ‘20s women were starting to have jobs more often. Women started wearing more revealing clothes and cut their hair, the fashion trend was called “flappers”. Women also had a lot of responsibilities at home.

This began to change in the First World War (1914-1918), largely due to a large number of women being called to take the jobs of men who had gone off to fight in the war. Even then, there was widespread resistance, because people believed it to be a man’s job. Due to the manpower demands of fighting in World War I, however, there was no alternative and women began to work in munitions factories and other industrial workplaces contributing to the war effort, apart from also as ticket collectors, railway guards, bus drivers, and others. In the United States, following the return of male soldiers from World War I, the workplaces conceded to women for the two years the U.S. participated was taken over once more by women. Women's’ place in the American workforce was consolidated in World War II where, when soldiers returned, women fought to keep

At first only single women aged 20-30 were needed for work but by 1943 World War 2 almost 90 per cent of single women and 80 per cent of married were employed. Women's wages rose in World War 2 when government made adjustments to women’s wages because of the amount of women being employed, the wage gap narrowed but women earned only 59% of the money that male earned. During the 1940s newspapers published separate job listings for men and women and in some cases the ads ran identical jobs under male and female listings with different wages.