“An entire nation, it seemed, was standing in one long breadline, desperate for even the barest essentials. It was a crisis of monumental proportions. It was known as the Great Depression” (Great Depression Quotes). Males were the ones that were relied on to get these life essentials. They were meant to be the breadwinners for American families. They had the best jobs and were portrayed as the “leader” of the household. They were treated the best compared to minorities including women and blacks. White men were more preferred over minorities when it came to jobs as well. White males and their role during the Great Depression included determining the success of their family with their jobs, but the lack of jobs and work options caused white
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Before this role for men started to go away, men basically determined the success and prosperity of their families. As long as they had a decent job, which was mainly occupied by men, they could get by in life. These “decent” jobs came by the easiest for men because they were preferred over other minorities that existed during this time including women and blacks. Also, “Yes, if your father was gainfully employed. Cecil: Yes, if your mother stayed at home and everyone had a maid or two. Camille: And a cook. Mary Ann: And a nurse and a yard man” (Growing Up White in the South in the 1930s 2). Shown from this example, the father was the person in the family that went out and worked. The mother’s main task was to stay home to raise their children and keep the house in check. Some richer families such as these ladies in the interview, would have maids, gardeners, and cooks around the house to help out. But, once the Great Depression and the 1930s started to come into full effect, the role of white men changed drastically. On top of that, “The economy of the period relied heavily on so-called "sex-typed" work, or work that employers typically assigned to one sex or the other. And the work most directly associated with males, especially manufacturing in heavy industries like
Before this role for men started to go away, men basically determined the success and prosperity of their families. As long as they had a decent job, which was mainly occupied by men, they could get by in life. These “decent” jobs came by the easiest for men because they were preferred over other minorities that existed during this time including women and blacks. Also, “Yes, if your father was gainfully employed. Cecil: Yes, if your mother stayed at home and everyone had a maid or two. Camille: And a cook. Mary Ann: And a nurse and a yard man” (Growing Up White in the South in the 1930s 2). Shown from this example, the father was the person in the family that went out and worked. The mother’s main task was to stay home to raise their children and keep the house in check. Some richer families such as these ladies in the interview, would have maids, gardeners, and cooks around the house to help out. But, once the Great Depression and the 1930s started to come into full effect, the role of white men changed drastically. On top of that, “The economy of the period relied heavily on so-called "sex-typed" work, or work that employers typically assigned to one sex or the other. And the work most directly associated with males, especially manufacturing in heavy industries like