Women in the 1920s

When America entered World War I, men went off to war, and women had to step in. They were recruited to what was seen as “men’s work”, such as postal workers, factory workers, railway guards, etc. Women were finally able to go to work, but equal pay was an ongoing issue from that point on. Women started to enjoy some basic rights that male citizens enjoyed but women were once denied. Rights such as being able to work and receiving an education, but they were still shut out, completely, from political activity.

The new republic of the 1830s-1850s was a society that devalued the role of women. By comparing men and women against each other, giving men a superior status, making their differences more evident, and allowing men to demand more rights, to think and do freely, this society has been created to view women as less than. Women are viewed as the weaker vessel and property to their father, or husband that need to be protected and should be wifely, child bearing, motherly and dedicated to their homes instead of viewing women as their own beings.

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.

With over 6 million men enlisted into the war, their jobs had to be filled, so women stepped up to fill those positions. With roles as nurses, badge sewing, working in factories & shipyards, to selling war bonds, and even spying. Women were also working on airplanes in the Air Force, as mechanics. Women were the driving force of the United States labor and job industry. (The Role of Women in WW1) Prior to the war, women were expected to remain in the home tending to domestic duties such as keeping the house clean, cooking meals for the family and raising children. Women were not allowed to work outside the home, especially in factories, as it was deemed, unladylike to work in such an

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.

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.

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

The 1920s were an age of dramatic social and political change. Women began to take on a variety of different roles after the first world war, both in the home and in the workplace. The number of working women increased by 25 percent. Many women wanted to show that they could do the job just as well as men. Their war experiences gave many the desire for more working opportunities. Women had also been given the right to vote in 1920. These new found economic and political freedoms led to more liberated ideas about sex, appearance, and consumerism.

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 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.

During the 1920s the United States hoped for a “return to normalcy”. World War I had a huge toll and created a number of changes in the society of the nation. Under the mass production, the consumer revolution, and aid of business of the 1920s economy prospered. Women made significant advancement during the decade by gaining suffrage, and changing their roles and image in society. Along with women making advancements African Americans were doing the same, by mixing their culture into society through jazz, and also with the Harlem renaissance the U.S. began to have different views on them. Throughout the single decade after the end of World War I the U.S. experienced significant changes economically, socially, and politically.

Throughout history, women have been seen in many different lights. From a woman’s perspective she is strong, smart, helpful and equal to men. In the eyes of men, she is seen as the weaker being, the housewife, and the caretaker. By looking at the following pieces of writing, one can see that through the centuries, women have struggled to break out of the mold that man had put her in and make themselves known in society as important.