Women in the 1940s

Women in the 1940s

The 1940s and especially the first half of the decade  brought a massive change to the role of women in American society. Not only did women enter the production process, but the whole perception on the capabilities of the so-called "weak gender" altered. Despite the fact that the change was short-lived, according to the National Park Service, the road taken by women in the 1940s continued into the future.

Previously women had very little say in society and were stereotyped to stay home, make babies, be a good homemaker and wife. The 1940's were different, life for women was expanding, the men were at war and some one had to step up and take the men's place.

Not only men were going to war either, the war was so big that in 1942 The Women's Army Corps (WAC) and Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES) were established. After these organizations were accepted congress authorized women to serve in the U.S. Navy. Going back to state side roles women worked factory, labor intensive jobs and become the attention of society in the entertainment industry.

1943 The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was founded. In 1945 Eleanor Roosevelt became a U.S delegate for the newly established United Nations. Through out the 1940's the amount of women in the workforce increased by 25-35 percent. In the book Born for Liberty, by Sara Evans, emphasizes on how much good Eleanor Roosevelt did in the rights of women. She supported their freedom and tried to understand the aspects of what a freed women is. This was a successful and strong time in women's history.

Women Surviving The Great Depression

Women Surviving The Great Depression


The Great Depression did not affect everyone the same way. Many rich people felt no impact at all, and were oblivious to the suffering of others.The Depression changed the family in dramatic ways. Many couples delayed marriage - the divorce rate dropped sharply (it was too expensive to pay the legal fees and support two households). As a result, women during this time abandoned their husbands completely. 

Women found their status being enhanced by their new roles and responsibilities. Black women especially found it easier to obtain work than their husbands. Either it was working as domestic servants, clerks, textiles workers and other occupations. This employment increased their status and power in the home, gaining them a new voice in domestic decisions.

The unemployment that men faced,  was a harder hit psychologically than women were. Since men were expected to provide for their families, it was humiliating to have to ask for assistance. Although some argued that women should not be given jobs when many men were unemployed. Also, in the Sara Evans text, Born for Liberty, one man wrote to his congressman " If less women were employed it would make room for the employment of many of the idle men in our country... in the last analysis women's true place is her home where she can see to the proper raising of her children while the man earns the living."(page 201) This quote supports that men were still against women working and they will always be the easy target in a crisis like this. 

Traditionally female fields of teaching and social services grew. Children started taking on more responsibilities, sometimes finding work when their parents could not. Women started taking a more important role and space in the society through hard times. Women gaining enough confidence and taking over all the jobs that are both in and outside of house is a step in more freedom.  As a result of living through the Depression, some people developed habits of careful saving and frugality, others determined to create a comfortable life for themselves.

Flappers, Freudians and All That Jazz

Flappers, Freudians and All That Jazz

The 1920s were the age of the dramatic social and political change. For the first time, more Americans lived in cities rather than living on farms. 

Most people are familiar of this era because it was called the "Roaring Twenties." During this time, there was something called the "flapper." A "flapper" women would be described as a unladylike women. Most "flappers" were northern, urban, young, single and middle class women. Young women with a hair cut that is short to an even length of neck and chin, mini short skirts, drank, smoked and were sexually "free" than previous generations. 
At night, flappers engaged in the active city nightlife. They frequented jazz clubs and the shows in the nightclubs. Speakeasies were a common destination, as the new woman of the twenties adopted the same carefree attitude toward prohibition as her male counterpart. Ironically, more young women consumed alcohol in the decade it was illegal than ever before. 

Women were able to vote at last with the 19th Amendment. The Amendment to the Constitution had guaranteed that right for women to vote in the 1920. Millions of women worked in white collar jobs and were able in affording to participate in the burgeoning consumer economy. During this time, women also had the opportunity to use birth control devices. The increased availability of birth control devices such as the diaphragm made it possible for women to have few children. 

As mentioned in the Born for Liberty text by Sara Evans, " perhaps the new freedoms and new attitudes of the twenties repsented a necessary experimentation with individualism specially on the part of young women ( p.195). " Women needed a change in the roles that they played and they reached a time were they broke free and did everything that were not allowed or prohibited from them before. This act remind me of setting a kid into a candy world with no rules and observing what happens to them. Women are finally proving who they are in society no matter what the cost is.  

Women During 1890-1920

Women During 1890-1920

During the Progressive Era, women played more active roles in the larger economic, cultural, and political transformation of American society. This growth in women's public roles allowed suffragists to be more aggressive in support of their cause as they developed stronger bases of support in the settlement houses, temperance organizations, labor unions, and reform movements that now sprang up across the country. The National American Women's Suffrage Association, led by Carrie Chapman Catt, fought for suffrage using parades, street speakers, petitions, and rallies.

In the book Born of Liberty by Sara Evans talked about 1900-1918 was the time that America was completing its rapid shift from an agrarian to an urban society. This caused major anxiety among the country's because it introduced "disturbing" changes in their society.As the growing middle class base of the woman's rights movement shifted suffrage from the periphery of women's organized activities toward mainstream, suffrage advocates increasingly with the class and race prejudices of white middle class. 

Also the Evans text mentioned that the working conditions continued to be extremely dangerous and work hours very long. Pay was also low which made the whole situation even more worst. However, as more factories opened and businesses women got the change to have work more and get paid. Trade union women brought together around thirty women's organizations in Illinois Women's Alliance between 1888 and 1894. They worked in factory inspections by women and new programs arose. Women are really trying to take every opportunity to prove themselves more and more. They are trying to become as equal as possible with men to have equal rights in voting and any decisions in and out of their homes. 

Women in Gilded Age

Women in Gilded Age 

The idea for this age was to create a maternal commonwealth. Upper-middle-class women of the late 19th century were not content with the cult of domesticity of the early 1800s. Many had become college educated and wanted to put their knowledge and skills to work for the public good.
One of the biggest changes in the late 19th century and the one which had the most impact on women lives was the growth of the cities. Most of the Urban life, created new problems and opportunities for both men and women. Women have already been trying to to find many ways to expand and better their lives. With urbanization going on, female spheres began to be included in evening out goings with their husbands. In most cases, as women became more visible in the social world, their behaviors were always under examination and resulted to find some mean between displaying class and status and demonstrating etiquette
Another way that women promoted the values of women's sphere into the public, was through the Settlement House Movement. A Settlement House Movement was a home where  immigrants could go when they had nowhere else to turn. Settlement houses provided family-style cooking, lessons in English, and tips on how to adapt to American culture.
In Born for Liberty by Sara Evans, Many educated women of the age felt that many of society's greatest disorders could be traced to alcohol. To their view, alcohol was leading to increased domestic violence and negligence. It is decreasing the families income that was being spent on necessities and promoted prostitution and adultery. 
As we can see through the readings, women are pushing ahead to perfect the politicls of influence, build organization of working women and bring together the republican claim of female citizenship with maternal commonwealth. Their main goal was to be as successful as men and have all the rights to be as equal as men. 

Women During 1845 - 1865

Women during 1845 - 1865 

During this period of time, men and women’s roles became more sharply defined than at any time in history. In earlier centuries it has always been usual for women to be working alongside their husbands and brothers in the family business. As the 19th century, women were slowly easing themselves to the society and breaking the spheres between men and women.  

According to Born for Liberty by Sara Evans, mentions that in 1848 New York passed a law granting married women all the control over property that they brought into marriage or received afterwards. During the 1840s the fur trade had virtually collapsed due to the overhunting demand. This led for women not being to cultivate crops because the men could not hunt. Women turned to needle work taught by missionaries and brought the traditional designs to crafts such as quilting.

One of the most important events during this time was women's rights movements. The main focuses are primarily concerned with making the political, social, and economic status of women equal to that of men and with establishing legislative safeguards against discrimination on the basis of gender. Women's rights movements have worked in support of these aims for more than two centuries. After doing some research, the first women's rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. After 2 days of discussion and debate, 68 women and 32 men signed the Declaration of Sentiments, which the rights for the women's rights movement. The twelve resolutions were adopted and called for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women.

During this period of time, women finally got the chance to make a rule in the congress that allowed equal rights to everyone. For the longest time, women have always been put down and they've never got passed being a housewife. They were not allowed to get any education but during this time they changed that too. This period of time, women made a big movement that effected the future women's rights and equality. Also, the reading of the Evans text gave so many important facts that was going on during this period of time.

Women in Age of Association 1820 - 1845

Women in Age of Association 1820 - 1845

This weeks blog is going to focus on women during the 19th century. Female friendship in the 19th century were long lived, intimate, loving friendship between two women was the first type of this phenomena. No one really thought about or even written about this aspect of female relationship. Women consciously or unconsciously chose to ignore it. Most women during this century formed emotional ties with one another. These relationships ranged from the supportive love of sisters to sensual filled with emotion of love by mature women. In the 19th century openly lesbian women were thought to be mentally ill. Those admitted to insane asylums often faced forced marriages.

In Born For Liberty by Sara Evans, she focused on the aspect of education in women. During this era, the availability of educated young women grew suddenly. By 1840, 38% of white Americans between the ages of five and twenty attended school. By 1850 most white women were very liberate and well educated. Women gained confidence after being educated. They taught and engaged in social reforms outside their homes and participated in the second Great Awakening.

The second Great Awakening focused on distinctly feminizing religion to its followers. They preached universal salvation rather than predestination. This lead to the notion of female moral superiority receiving further reinforcement as the main ideals of femininity and Christianity appeared. In May 1834, females had their own book of religion  that was 400 chapters of American Female Moral Reform Society. The goal of this society was to eradicate prostitution that was a threat for moral fabric in society and vulnerability of the women. Catherine Beecher was one of the most important women in this era. Beecher wanted women to have moral superiority in their society. She refused to marry anyone and had no contradiction between advocacy of domesticity and marriage.

As you can see, women during this time gained power but yet lost some. For example, lesbian women were not very talked about or heard about during this time. if a women outright admitted her love to another women she was thought on being crazy and sent to asylums. On the other hand, women gained power in the move of education and second Great awakening. In the book Women In America,  the readings about the relationships between women was interesting to learn about. Both of the novels that I mentioned above, taught me a lot about  this era and seeing how women are slowly standing up for themselves is amazing.