From the beginning of the twentieth century to 1920, the percentage of women in the workforce grew steadily from 18.3 percent to 21.4 percent . Women during this time made less than half of what men made, and most jobs were only available in the fields of domestic service and manufacturing. Nearly seventy years later, more than half of paid labor were working women and wages were 81% of what men made by 2010 . This short amount of time shows a great amount of improvement for women’s status during this time, thanks to many laws drafted and passed by the U.S Government. Married women in the workforce were looked down upon during the post-Depression era. A poll conducted by George Gallup in 1936 asked if married women should work while their
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Kennedy seemed to be the first president to really be concerned with women’s status during his time in office. He mentioned women’s limited job opportunities and suggested something to start the equal treatment of men and women in the workplace. This led to the creation of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which made it illegal to pay a woman less than a man for doing the same job. Though the law was meant to help mend the wage gap, it was rare for men and women to be working the same job, due to the sexual segregation of the labor force; this new law didn’t do much, but it was a big step in the right direction for the equal treatment of women in the …show more content…
The end of the 1960’s showed a grand success in women’s lives, as they had gained more economical and educational opportunities and the ability to exercise more control over their bodies and reproductivity . With more women in the workforce, the beginning of the 1970’s paved new ground for women everywhere with new laws to protect women and minorities from discrimination. 1971 brought Richard Nixon’s “affirmative action”, which banned further discrimination due to race and gender. In 1978, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was passed, which noted mothers’ participation in the labor market and protected them from workplace discrimination.
The Federal Government played a huge role in the working woman’s status during the twentieth century. Many laws were passed to benefit the wages, treatment, and protection of women as the years
Kennedy seemed to be the first president to really be concerned with women’s status during his time in office. He mentioned women’s limited job opportunities and suggested something to start the equal treatment of men and women in the workplace. This led to the creation of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which made it illegal to pay a woman less than a man for doing the same job. Though the law was meant to help mend the wage gap, it was rare for men and women to be working the same job, due to the sexual segregation of the labor force; this new law didn’t do much, but it was a big step in the right direction for the equal treatment of women in the …show more content…
The end of the 1960’s showed a grand success in women’s lives, as they had gained more economical and educational opportunities and the ability to exercise more control over their bodies and reproductivity . With more women in the workforce, the beginning of the 1970’s paved new ground for women everywhere with new laws to protect women and minorities from discrimination. 1971 brought Richard Nixon’s “affirmative action”, which banned further discrimination due to race and gender. In 1978, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was passed, which noted mothers’ participation in the labor market and protected them from workplace discrimination.
The Federal Government played a huge role in the working woman’s status during the twentieth century. Many laws were passed to benefit the wages, treatment, and protection of women as the years