society and culture in change
1917-80
Impact of roaring twenties:
- Emergence of flappers during this period; they were sexually liberated, wore mens
clothing, smoke, drank and went out at night without a male companion. Icons like Clara
Bow inspired them
- Many flappers went back to their previous lifestyles after marriage.
- Only 7% of 2000 Middletown women admitted to pre-marital sex
- President Coolidge didn’t let his wife cut her hair short, have short skirts or drive a car
- 19th Amendment 1919 enfranchised women over 21 and this was ratified in 1920
- Only 25% of women voted in 1928 elections
- Only 1 woman in HOR in 1917-1919 and 3 women in 1921-1923
- “Last hired, first fired” economic policy
- Only 100 female accountants, few women in boardroom and very few female lawyers
- Some jobs were banned to married women as only 10% of them worked and 24 states
banned their employment
Impact of great depression and the new deal:
- 80% of Americans believed women should be homemakers
- Limited to 10 hours work a day
- Black women earnt 23 cents for every white man’s dollar
- Fannie Peck’s Housewives League of Detroit encouraged black-run stores and local help
in 1930 but only grassroots level
- Eleanor Roosevelt set up Camp Tera to help women with employment but no wages; it
only taught budget management
, Impact of pre-ww2 activists:
- Eleanor Roosevelt set up women-only press conferences for female journalists but it was
grassroots level and this allowed female journalists to find work easier
- TERA aid provided social workers and nurses and $234 million to starving families
- Frances Perkins was Roosevelts’ Secretary of Labour and it showed a step forward for
politics as she influenced many of the New Deal programmes. Americans viewed her as
hysterical and encouraged anti-semetic views of her by calling it the “Jew Deal” despite
her being Christian.
Impact of ww2:
- From 1936-42, the view against married women working decreased from 82% being
opposed to it to 13%
- Black women in nursing courses increased from 1080-2600 from 1939-45
- Black women were refused from employment to be associated with sexual diseases
- Black women in a detroit rubber plant were discriminated against by white women who
didn’t want to share the same toilet as them
- 19 million women working in 1945 which was a 10% increase from 1941
- 300 000 women in armed forces and 12 000 in air forces but none in combat
- Lanham Act 1941 provided childcare for 130 000 children
- 75% of detroit workers wanted to work after war but fired due to no more childcare or
men coming back from war wanting jobs
Suburbia:
- Many new conveniences and electrical machines in the suburbs
- TV dinners emerged in 1960s which made housewives lives easier
- It did have disadvantages as it was very repetitive and draining for the women
- It wasn’t very available for many women due to financial disparity
Position in 1950s/60s:
- Womens’ magazines pictured women in domesticity and traditional lifestyles that led to
women falling into alcoholism and drugs in the 50s.
- Women were 80% teachers, 10% principals, 7% doctors and 3% lawyers in 1960
- 16 women in HOR from 1955-57 and from 1959-61
- Professional women rose by 41% from 1950-60
- 643 women had their doctorate in 1950 but 5900 men
- Schools expelled pregnant students and fired pregnant teachers
NOW:
- Created a 1968 Bill of Rights that outlined their grievances
- 1967 LBJ passed executive order banned gender discrimination in federal hiring
- 1968 NOW won a court case that stopped women being put in jail for a maximum
sentence or twice a man’s sentence for the same crime
- NOW won a $13 million compensation and fought 1000 sexism cases
1917-80
Impact of roaring twenties:
- Emergence of flappers during this period; they were sexually liberated, wore mens
clothing, smoke, drank and went out at night without a male companion. Icons like Clara
Bow inspired them
- Many flappers went back to their previous lifestyles after marriage.
- Only 7% of 2000 Middletown women admitted to pre-marital sex
- President Coolidge didn’t let his wife cut her hair short, have short skirts or drive a car
- 19th Amendment 1919 enfranchised women over 21 and this was ratified in 1920
- Only 25% of women voted in 1928 elections
- Only 1 woman in HOR in 1917-1919 and 3 women in 1921-1923
- “Last hired, first fired” economic policy
- Only 100 female accountants, few women in boardroom and very few female lawyers
- Some jobs were banned to married women as only 10% of them worked and 24 states
banned their employment
Impact of great depression and the new deal:
- 80% of Americans believed women should be homemakers
- Limited to 10 hours work a day
- Black women earnt 23 cents for every white man’s dollar
- Fannie Peck’s Housewives League of Detroit encouraged black-run stores and local help
in 1930 but only grassroots level
- Eleanor Roosevelt set up Camp Tera to help women with employment but no wages; it
only taught budget management
, Impact of pre-ww2 activists:
- Eleanor Roosevelt set up women-only press conferences for female journalists but it was
grassroots level and this allowed female journalists to find work easier
- TERA aid provided social workers and nurses and $234 million to starving families
- Frances Perkins was Roosevelts’ Secretary of Labour and it showed a step forward for
politics as she influenced many of the New Deal programmes. Americans viewed her as
hysterical and encouraged anti-semetic views of her by calling it the “Jew Deal” despite
her being Christian.
Impact of ww2:
- From 1936-42, the view against married women working decreased from 82% being
opposed to it to 13%
- Black women in nursing courses increased from 1080-2600 from 1939-45
- Black women were refused from employment to be associated with sexual diseases
- Black women in a detroit rubber plant were discriminated against by white women who
didn’t want to share the same toilet as them
- 19 million women working in 1945 which was a 10% increase from 1941
- 300 000 women in armed forces and 12 000 in air forces but none in combat
- Lanham Act 1941 provided childcare for 130 000 children
- 75% of detroit workers wanted to work after war but fired due to no more childcare or
men coming back from war wanting jobs
Suburbia:
- Many new conveniences and electrical machines in the suburbs
- TV dinners emerged in 1960s which made housewives lives easier
- It did have disadvantages as it was very repetitive and draining for the women
- It wasn’t very available for many women due to financial disparity
Position in 1950s/60s:
- Womens’ magazines pictured women in domesticity and traditional lifestyles that led to
women falling into alcoholism and drugs in the 50s.
- Women were 80% teachers, 10% principals, 7% doctors and 3% lawyers in 1960
- 16 women in HOR from 1955-57 and from 1959-61
- Professional women rose by 41% from 1950-60
- 643 women had their doctorate in 1950 but 5900 men
- Schools expelled pregnant students and fired pregnant teachers
NOW:
- Created a 1968 Bill of Rights that outlined their grievances
- 1967 LBJ passed executive order banned gender discrimination in federal hiring
- 1968 NOW won a court case that stopped women being put in jail for a maximum
sentence or twice a man’s sentence for the same crime
- NOW won a $13 million compensation and fought 1000 sexism cases
