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The Great Depression And Its Effects On Society Essay

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The Great Depression began in 1929 and continued to ravage the families of New Zealand and the majority of the world until 1935, with devastating effects. The stock market crash caused massive economic downturn therefore generating unemployment on a scale never seen before, and negative impact on society. Political action and reform was required, though initially the government did not provide an adequate response to the problem. The group that was most affected was in fact men, which were in this era classified as breadwinners of the pre-depression family. The considerable economic deterioration stimulated unemployment of men at immense rates, causing not only their lives to be affected, but their families who relied on them to provide essentials. Traditional roles within the family differed during the 1930s. Men finding themselves without work now had to depend on their wives and children in some cases to scrape through. Many did not accept this loss of authority and influence, as they had been socialized to think themselves the primary decision maker. This resulted in countless men abandoning the idea of looking for work, paralysed by their sudden cut from their usual routine and bleak chances, which resulted in lack of self-respect. In addition, the lives of women underwent significant change. They found that their statuses enhanced by their new roles. Left with little choice but to contribute, they went against the historic opposition to women working outside of the

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