Women's Jobs In The 1920s

In America, women have the same rights of any other man, but it hasn 't always been like that. Before the woman 's rights movement, many women didn 't have a voice in America 's past male dominated society. In fact, the mere thought of a woman participating in anything besides, cleaning their husbands houses, raising their children, or making dinner was absurd. Throughout America, women were viewed as fragile and dimwitted, and nothing a woman said was taken seriously. However, when too many men left to fight in World War Two, more women were pressured into working “male” jobs. These male jobs were usually labor-forced industry jobs. Many women were convinced that working these jobs was a patriotic act from wartime propaganda, so many women …show more content…
This was the the first time a portion of women joined the workforce. It also sparked women 's self-interest and raised expectations toward themselves. However, it was not something that was socially accepted. In The New Woman: Changing Views of Women in the 1920s, Estelle B. Freedman states, the “growth of a female labor force did not automatically change attitudes toward working women” (380). In fact, after WWI ended and men came home, the majority of women who were sought out to enter the workforce, went back home and ceased working. Besides the social discrimination, women were also discouraged from working by being significantly paid less. There was “an exploitative double standard of wages geared to nonpermanent help” (Freedman, 380). Incidentally, in World War Two (WWII) history seemed to repeat itself. Women were needed to yet again going to workforce due to lack of males. Persuaded by wartime propaganda and patriotism, women joined the workforce again. The government went out of their way to persuade women into the workforce. They created multiple campaigns to boost women in the workplace such as “Rosie the Riveter,” which is now a famous icon and feminists symbol. According to the Metropolitan State University of Denver, “the percentage of married women working outside the home increased from 13.9 to 22.5.” and about half of them worked in defense …show more content…
House of Representatives (2007), the Woman’s Rights Movement began in 1848, with the first gathering devoted to women 's rights on July 19th and 20th in Seneca Falls, New York. They go on to say, “About 100 people attended the convention; two-thirds were women,” and the declaration that all men and women were created equal was discussed. However, much of the 1850s denied basic economic freedoms to women. Which led the unsuccessfully lobbying of Congress to include women in the 14th and 15th amendments, as stated by the History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives. Women didn’t have any rights and were second class citizens. In 1869, two forms of the suffrage movement developed. One of which focused on changing federal law and opposing the 15th Amendment as it excluded women, called the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA). The other, the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), “rejected the NWSA’s agenda as being racially divisive and organized with the aim to continue a national reform effort at the state level.” according to, the History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives. During the 1880s, both divisions of the woman’s rights movement struggled to manage any power. Nonetheless, in the early 18990s, the women 's rights movement experienced a turning point. With its newfound “surge of volunteerism among middle-class women—activists in progressive causes, members of women’s clubs and professional