What Is The Role Of American Women In The 1920's

During and after the Second World War the role of American women was drastically changing. For many years prior to the 1940’s, the traditional American woman was a housewife, a married woman whose duties were to care for the family and manage household affairs. During this time, women were rarely seen in the workplace unless they were unmarried. The only times there was a shift in these gender roles were when the country was experiencing economic depressions or a wartime crisis. The Second World War gave women the opportunity to enter the workforce due to the men being called upon to fight. This allowed women to climb in American society, however, the conclusion of the war brought the men home. The men were given their jobs back after returning …show more content…
The “First Wave” of feminism from the 1830s through 1920s was mainly organizations and project arranged by women suffragist who pushed for women’s rights. These women achieved many things that helped change the lives of American women forever, for example, women gained the right to vote in 1920. However, women were still expected to marry quickly and be a housemaker in the 1920s proving that not all issues were solved in the “First Wave”, but this was the foundation for the “Second Wave” of feminism from 1960s through 1970s. This wave was extremely powerful with the rebirth of woman’s rights organizations that focused on social reforms and equality in everyday activities like the workplace and education. In the 1960s, women were mostly limited to jobs as nurses and teachers, rarely were women seen in industrial or high leadership jobs. Working women were routinely paid lower salaries than men and denied opportunities to advance in their current occupations. In 1962, Betty Friedan's book The Feminine Mystique, captured the limitation and misery of a generation of college-educated housewives who felt confined and unfulfilled. Women with college degrees were limited to the traditional roles of a woman to have a family, care for that family, and do household chores; preventing them from pursuing the jobs they earned from their degrees. Radical feminism was formed which fought for the elimination of patriarchy rule in all political, social and economic processes in society. These women would rally and protest throughout the 1960s. The Woman’s Liberation Movement was an outcome of radical feminism, pushing for the downfall of male supremacy throughout the United States and other developed countries. Women began to make a stand in political matters throughout the country. In 1964, Representative Howard Smith