lOMoARcPSD|11700591
Women’s
Rights
Revision
1
, lOMoARcPSD|11700591
Women’s Rights Statistics
Beginning Middle End
Social
Women’s Some intelligent and Men increasingly dominated social
influence on energetic married middle- work during and after the New
society. class women began to Deal.
campaign to reduce inequality
and injustice.
This was generally seen as
socially acceptable.
Education. By 1900, half of high school
graduates were female.
However, women’s education
was often seen as merely a
stage in their preparation for
marriage and motherhood.
Higher There was a general increase Increasing numbers of women
education. in the number of women moved into higher education.
admitted into higher Some women became involved in
education. research.
However, opportunities in law and
medicine were still limited due to
strong male resistance.
Childbirth and Many women died in The size of white middle class The average number of children
birth control. childbirth. families reduced as more began to increased from 3.09 in 1950 to 3.77 in
Some white middle class use birth control. 1957, however it fell to 3.65 in 1960.
families began to use some However, religious families By the early 1970s, the Pill become
forms of birth control. opposed birth control due to their available to unmarried and married
The average birth rate fell beliefs, and poorer families women 18 years old or above.
from 5.42 children in 1850 to couldn’t afford it, so the sizes of
3.56 children in 1900. these families remained high.
However, the families of
immigrant families continued
to be large (6-8 children) due
to their religious opposition
to birth control.
Abortion. Abortions were illegal. Abortions were illegal in most Women gained the right to an abortion.
Some poorer women resorted states and illegal back-street However, poorer women could not
to illegal back-street abortions were still being carried necessarily afford an abortion.
abortions if they couldn’t out. In 1960, 292 legal abortions were
cope with another child. In 1935, 89 legal abortions were reported, which increased to 193,000 by
reported in the USA, which 1970, 1.03 million by 1975, 1.55 million by
increased to 675 by 1949. 1980 and 1.6 million by 1990.
Marriage and The divorce rate increased The divorce rate rose from 10.2% In the 1950s, marriage rates reached an
divorce. from about one in every 21 in 1940 to 18.2% in 1946. all-time high and the age of marriage was
marriages in 1880 to about very low (22.8 years old for men and 20.3
one in every 12 marriages in for women).
1900. In the 1960s, 73,000 African American
This was highly disliked by women were unmarried mothers, which
staunch supporters of the increased to 1 million by 1980 and 2.9
“separate spheres” idea. million by 1990.
Domestic
violence and
criminal
offences
against women.
2
, lOMoARcPSD|11700591
Separate Women were respected in The separate spheres ideology In the 1960s, there was a merging of the
spheres (e.g. home and family life, but continued. male and female roles and
the role of were not respected for doing When the rate of juvenile responsibilities in middle-class homes.
women in the much else. delinquency rose, women got the In 1968, 65% of girls aged 15-19 wanted
home). Many women suffered from blame. to be housewives by the age of 35 years,
depression due to loneliness. which had decreased to 25% by 1978.
The percentage of white women who
supported feminists increased from 37%
in 1970 to 72% in 1985.
The percentage of African American
women who supported feminists
increased from 60% in 1970 to 78% in
1985.
The percentage of men who supported
gender equality increased from 33% in
1972 to 40% in 1990.
Political
Voting rights. Women were denied the By 1918, 20 states had given All women gained the right to vote.
right to vote in most states. women the right to vote in state
By 1900, four states had elections.
given women the right to The 19th Amendment (1920) gave
vote: Wyoming, Colorado, women the right to vote.
Utah and Idaho. However, immigrant women who
had not been naturalised
remained disenfranchised.
African American and Native
American women in the south
were prevented from voting by
the states.
Women in Politics was dominated by The numbers of women in politics In 1968, only 20 women put themselves
politics. men. increased only very slowly forward for election to Congress,
However, small numbers of through the first half of the 20th however the number of women standing
women began to move into Century. for election doubled between 1974 and
political officers of lesser By 1939, only nine women had 1994.
importance. entered federal politics. The number of female House of
Representatives members increased
from 12 in 1970 to 47 in 1992.
By 1992, 19 out of 100 of the US’s big
cities had female mayors.
Female Most women were disengaged A lot of women remained Female engagement with politics
engagement from politics. disengaged with politics and had increased.
with politics However, turnout was little interest in voting. The number of women who said they
and turnout. sometimes high in some The majority of married women would vote for a female president
states where women could who voted simply voted how their increased from 76% in 1978 to 86% in
vote. husband did. 1991.
Economi
c
Total number By 1900, the number of During the 1920s, the overall From 1940 to 1960, the number of
of women in female workers had tripled number of women entering the working women doubled.
employment. so that they now made up workforce increased by 2 million, The percentage of women with a job
17% of the total workforce. but these opportunities were lost increased from 40% in 1960 to 47% in
The number of women during the depression. 1970.
working as teachers, Women began to drift back into Between 1970 and 1980, gender
secretaries, librarians and employment by the end of the segregation in employment decreased by
telephone operators 1930s and worked during WW2, 10%.
increased from 949,000 in however large numbers of women
1900 to 3.4 million by 1920. were laid off at the end of WW2.
Employment of By 1870, 13% of unmarried Non-married women made the By the 1980s, 50% of the most
non-married women worked in domestic most of jobs in WW1 and WW2. successful women were childless.
women and non- occupations or increasingly in
mothers. factories.
3
, lOMoARcPSD|11700591
Employment of Married women on the Great During the 1920s, the percentage The number of working mothers
married women Plains become cleaners, of working class, married women increased from 1.5 million in 1940 to 6.6
and mothers. cooks, nurses, teachers, in the workforce increased from million in 1960.
medicine makers, basic 22.8% to 28.8%. By 1989, 73.2% of married women with
manufacturers and farm There were five million more children aged between 6 and 17 were
labourers. working women in 1945 than in working outside the home.
1940, many of whom were married
women.
Female There were no career After WW2 there were fewer The lack of female managers and
employment in pathways for women as opportunities in professional executives became known as the glass
professional, managers and in traditionally occupations, whereas the number ceiling.
managerial and male professions, such as of men in professional occupations During the 1970s, only 4.8% of America’s
high-paid medicine and law. increased by 40%. three million managers and executives
occupations. Nursing was seen as an were women.
extension of the female role The percentage of women in higher
rather than a profession. education who wanted a career increased
from 21% in 1970 to 40% in 1980.
Female business By 1996, women owned 7.7 million
owners. businesses in the US, employing around
15.5 million people.
Pay. There were significant Wages of female workers By the mid-1990s, young, educated
differences between the pay remained low compared to male women earned about 98% of men’s rates
of men and women. workers. of pay.
By the late 1890s, immigrant In 1939, a female teacher earned
female factory workers had 20% less than her male
to work, on average, 70 hours counterpart.
to earn just $5. Female white collar workers were
paid less than male factory
workers.
Conditions of Women generally worked in
work and poor conditions.
working hours.
Childcare and By the mid-1980s, only five states
maternity. provided partially paid maternity leave.
By 1992, affordable childcare was still
had to find.
Women in trade Women were mostly not in During the 1930s, the female Increasing numbers of women joined
unions. trade unions until small membership of unions increased unions in the 1970s, which came to be
numbers joined them after from 265,000 to 800,000. known as “trade union feminism”.
1900. These were mostly working class
women.
However, union activity to defend
women’s rights in the workplace
had limited impact.
Also, unions for female workers
were exclusively white, so the
most exploited female workers
(African American and Mexican
American) had no representation.
Finance, credit
and property
ownership.
Welfare aid. Some women benefitted from
New Deal policies that were
intended to address wider
economic issues, however most
policies were biased in favour of
male breadwinners.
4
Women’s
Rights
Revision
1
, lOMoARcPSD|11700591
Women’s Rights Statistics
Beginning Middle End
Social
Women’s Some intelligent and Men increasingly dominated social
influence on energetic married middle- work during and after the New
society. class women began to Deal.
campaign to reduce inequality
and injustice.
This was generally seen as
socially acceptable.
Education. By 1900, half of high school
graduates were female.
However, women’s education
was often seen as merely a
stage in their preparation for
marriage and motherhood.
Higher There was a general increase Increasing numbers of women
education. in the number of women moved into higher education.
admitted into higher Some women became involved in
education. research.
However, opportunities in law and
medicine were still limited due to
strong male resistance.
Childbirth and Many women died in The size of white middle class The average number of children
birth control. childbirth. families reduced as more began to increased from 3.09 in 1950 to 3.77 in
Some white middle class use birth control. 1957, however it fell to 3.65 in 1960.
families began to use some However, religious families By the early 1970s, the Pill become
forms of birth control. opposed birth control due to their available to unmarried and married
The average birth rate fell beliefs, and poorer families women 18 years old or above.
from 5.42 children in 1850 to couldn’t afford it, so the sizes of
3.56 children in 1900. these families remained high.
However, the families of
immigrant families continued
to be large (6-8 children) due
to their religious opposition
to birth control.
Abortion. Abortions were illegal. Abortions were illegal in most Women gained the right to an abortion.
Some poorer women resorted states and illegal back-street However, poorer women could not
to illegal back-street abortions were still being carried necessarily afford an abortion.
abortions if they couldn’t out. In 1960, 292 legal abortions were
cope with another child. In 1935, 89 legal abortions were reported, which increased to 193,000 by
reported in the USA, which 1970, 1.03 million by 1975, 1.55 million by
increased to 675 by 1949. 1980 and 1.6 million by 1990.
Marriage and The divorce rate increased The divorce rate rose from 10.2% In the 1950s, marriage rates reached an
divorce. from about one in every 21 in 1940 to 18.2% in 1946. all-time high and the age of marriage was
marriages in 1880 to about very low (22.8 years old for men and 20.3
one in every 12 marriages in for women).
1900. In the 1960s, 73,000 African American
This was highly disliked by women were unmarried mothers, which
staunch supporters of the increased to 1 million by 1980 and 2.9
“separate spheres” idea. million by 1990.
Domestic
violence and
criminal
offences
against women.
2
, lOMoARcPSD|11700591
Separate Women were respected in The separate spheres ideology In the 1960s, there was a merging of the
spheres (e.g. home and family life, but continued. male and female roles and
the role of were not respected for doing When the rate of juvenile responsibilities in middle-class homes.
women in the much else. delinquency rose, women got the In 1968, 65% of girls aged 15-19 wanted
home). Many women suffered from blame. to be housewives by the age of 35 years,
depression due to loneliness. which had decreased to 25% by 1978.
The percentage of white women who
supported feminists increased from 37%
in 1970 to 72% in 1985.
The percentage of African American
women who supported feminists
increased from 60% in 1970 to 78% in
1985.
The percentage of men who supported
gender equality increased from 33% in
1972 to 40% in 1990.
Political
Voting rights. Women were denied the By 1918, 20 states had given All women gained the right to vote.
right to vote in most states. women the right to vote in state
By 1900, four states had elections.
given women the right to The 19th Amendment (1920) gave
vote: Wyoming, Colorado, women the right to vote.
Utah and Idaho. However, immigrant women who
had not been naturalised
remained disenfranchised.
African American and Native
American women in the south
were prevented from voting by
the states.
Women in Politics was dominated by The numbers of women in politics In 1968, only 20 women put themselves
politics. men. increased only very slowly forward for election to Congress,
However, small numbers of through the first half of the 20th however the number of women standing
women began to move into Century. for election doubled between 1974 and
political officers of lesser By 1939, only nine women had 1994.
importance. entered federal politics. The number of female House of
Representatives members increased
from 12 in 1970 to 47 in 1992.
By 1992, 19 out of 100 of the US’s big
cities had female mayors.
Female Most women were disengaged A lot of women remained Female engagement with politics
engagement from politics. disengaged with politics and had increased.
with politics However, turnout was little interest in voting. The number of women who said they
and turnout. sometimes high in some The majority of married women would vote for a female president
states where women could who voted simply voted how their increased from 76% in 1978 to 86% in
vote. husband did. 1991.
Economi
c
Total number By 1900, the number of During the 1920s, the overall From 1940 to 1960, the number of
of women in female workers had tripled number of women entering the working women doubled.
employment. so that they now made up workforce increased by 2 million, The percentage of women with a job
17% of the total workforce. but these opportunities were lost increased from 40% in 1960 to 47% in
The number of women during the depression. 1970.
working as teachers, Women began to drift back into Between 1970 and 1980, gender
secretaries, librarians and employment by the end of the segregation in employment decreased by
telephone operators 1930s and worked during WW2, 10%.
increased from 949,000 in however large numbers of women
1900 to 3.4 million by 1920. were laid off at the end of WW2.
Employment of By 1870, 13% of unmarried Non-married women made the By the 1980s, 50% of the most
non-married women worked in domestic most of jobs in WW1 and WW2. successful women were childless.
women and non- occupations or increasingly in
mothers. factories.
3
, lOMoARcPSD|11700591
Employment of Married women on the Great During the 1920s, the percentage The number of working mothers
married women Plains become cleaners, of working class, married women increased from 1.5 million in 1940 to 6.6
and mothers. cooks, nurses, teachers, in the workforce increased from million in 1960.
medicine makers, basic 22.8% to 28.8%. By 1989, 73.2% of married women with
manufacturers and farm There were five million more children aged between 6 and 17 were
labourers. working women in 1945 than in working outside the home.
1940, many of whom were married
women.
Female There were no career After WW2 there were fewer The lack of female managers and
employment in pathways for women as opportunities in professional executives became known as the glass
professional, managers and in traditionally occupations, whereas the number ceiling.
managerial and male professions, such as of men in professional occupations During the 1970s, only 4.8% of America’s
high-paid medicine and law. increased by 40%. three million managers and executives
occupations. Nursing was seen as an were women.
extension of the female role The percentage of women in higher
rather than a profession. education who wanted a career increased
from 21% in 1970 to 40% in 1980.
Female business By 1996, women owned 7.7 million
owners. businesses in the US, employing around
15.5 million people.
Pay. There were significant Wages of female workers By the mid-1990s, young, educated
differences between the pay remained low compared to male women earned about 98% of men’s rates
of men and women. workers. of pay.
By the late 1890s, immigrant In 1939, a female teacher earned
female factory workers had 20% less than her male
to work, on average, 70 hours counterpart.
to earn just $5. Female white collar workers were
paid less than male factory
workers.
Conditions of Women generally worked in
work and poor conditions.
working hours.
Childcare and By the mid-1980s, only five states
maternity. provided partially paid maternity leave.
By 1992, affordable childcare was still
had to find.
Women in trade Women were mostly not in During the 1930s, the female Increasing numbers of women joined
unions. trade unions until small membership of unions increased unions in the 1970s, which came to be
numbers joined them after from 265,000 to 800,000. known as “trade union feminism”.
1900. These were mostly working class
women.
However, union activity to defend
women’s rights in the workplace
had limited impact.
Also, unions for female workers
were exclusively white, so the
most exploited female workers
(African American and Mexican
American) had no representation.
Finance, credit
and property
ownership.
Welfare aid. Some women benefitted from
New Deal policies that were
intended to address wider
economic issues, however most
policies were biased in favour of
male breadwinners.
4
