The Great Depression´s Impact on Gender Roles

Publication of books and periodical revealed to the public the problems that women endured within their homes, education, labor, and health. In a male dominant society, men premeditated what roles women should play at home. Women were perceived as weaker than men, unable to think for themselves and their opinions were view as useless. Male dominating view of a woman’s role was to have no other aspirations but to take care of her husband, family and home.

     Many of people today feel trapped inside their homes, just how the women of Pre-Industrial Europe felt. Working day in and day out inside the homes, just to keep the family together, and make a little money on the side, these women were an integral part of Pre-Industrial families. Not only were the women important to Pre-Industrial European families, but so were the households. Much of the money was made in the households, and this is where families either succeeded or failed. The household and women of Pre-Industrial Europe played an integral role in the economy of the families, and more importantly, the women of these households kept them running

For the longest time, women’s role in society was very narrow and set in stone. Women weren’t given the chance to decide life for their own, and there was a very sharp distinction of gender roles. Women were viewed as inferior, weak, and dependant. They were expected to be responsible for the family and maintainance of the house. But as the 19th century began, so did a drastic change in society. Women started voicing their opinions and seeking change. Trying to break away from this ideology called “cult of domesticity” was a lengthy, burdensome, and demanding struggle.

The Depression changed social structure in America forever. “The real story of the 1930’s is how individual families endured and survived, whether battling the despair of hunger and unemployment in the city of the fear of unending drought and forced migration in the dust bowl of the Great plains.” (Press, Petra pg 6)

Women, during the Great Depression, had the toughest time out of all of the people who lived through the Great Depression for many reasons. Women often had to sell themselves on the street to

While social change has brought on more changes than what women are a custom too, at one point in history women actually felt a form of importance in fulfilling their roles not only in the home; but outside as well. “These demographic shifts account for many new or altered roles, such as increased number of duel-earner families, later and fewer marriages, fewer children, increased life expectancy, and the massive migration shifting employees across a nation and across the globe” (Lindsey, 2011, pg. 275).

Women working men’s jobs were not as welcomed in society as they were in factories. People held on to the belief that women should be house wives and not have to do much in the way of work. The man should provide for the family, and the women should take care of the family. Many of the women who worked were lower class and had to help provide for their families, or were the only providers for their families. Women who worked men’s jobs were looked down upon and thought to be no better than dirt. Although women working in factories were still women, men did not show them the same respect as they did a woman working as a secretary or teacher.

The Great Depression transformed American society and the way people thought about themselves and their relationship to the country. During this horrendous time period, many people lost many important pieces in their lives like money and jobs. Millions of families lost their savings as many banks collapsed in the early 1930s. They were unable to make rent payments or mortgage and many were removed from their apartments. The Great Depression challenged American families in vital ways, placing great economic demands upon families and their members.

During the 1920’s business was booming, many Americans were using credit cards to buy materials that they knew they could not pay back, businesses were producing products in an efficient manner, the cycle of debt was inevitable and electricity was being used in every American home. However, years later disaster strikes, on October 29 1929 Americas once healthy economy with a 4% unemployment rate suddenly spiraled out of control due to the stock market crash where billions of dollars were lost since many Americans wanted wealth and would go to any measure to achieve it which lead to careless investments and many investors raced to take their money out of the stock market as soon as it crashed. This unstable economy did

Whether it is the past or the present, there have always been gender roles in society. In most homes, it is the woman’s responsibility to take care of the house. This includes cleaning, meal preparations, raising and taking care of the children as well as the husband. Compared to the men who take care of the more physical activities, such as yard work. It was known throughout many years that it was a woman’s responsibility to stay in the house while the man would go out and look for work to provide money for his family. Although the intensity of gender roles has changed, it still exists.

The Great Depression can be a tough subject for most people, but still inspiring to others. The Great Depression was a very difficult time for America as well as women. The women of the Great Depression struggled through many trials, as did many others in the United States, but they were able to get through it all. The women of the Great Depression worked their hardest to stay true to themselves, and their family, as well as, to keep a job, a stable household, and for some, a strong marriage.

Due to economic necessity, women’s employment increased during the Great Depression, in part because the jobs from which they have been excluded, such as those in heavy industry, were most often in the areas of the economy hardest hit by the collapse. At the time, many people saw the differential between female and male employment as a major cause of male unemployment. “Simply fire all the women, who shouldn’t be working anyway, and hire the [unemployed] men,” Norman Cousins wrote in 1939, summarizing this simplistic argument. “Presto! No unemployment. No relief rolls. No depression” (Kessler-Harris 256). That lack of open-mindedness ignores the basic reality that it did not matter how desperate men were for a job, most of them would never

During the early 1800's women were stuck in the Cult of Domesticity. Women had been issued roles as the moral keepers for societies as well as the nonworking house-wives for families. Also, women were considered unequal to their male companions legally and socially. However, women’s efforts during the 1800’s were effective in challenging traditional intellectual, social, economical, and political attitudes about a women’s place in society.

Having had a great economic impact, the Great Depression also shaped the way people viewed each other. In the South, struggling whites faced enmity, in which “the greatest hostility to poor whites came from their fellow southerners, sometimes blacks but more often upper-class whites” (Boney). In a social aspect, the needy were categorized as inferior because they could not support themselves. A difficult time for most, wealthier individuals prioritized themselves over others and stayed above poverty. In the home, connections within the family were affected, as “domestic violence and child abuse increased during the Depression” due to “disputes over finances, food, and other basic necessities” (Batchelor). For the purpose of survival, individuals

During the Industrial Revolution, women were, in general, considered socially inferior. A “good woman” was expected to stay at home, raise