Faizaan Butt 13T4
Q) How far did the position of women change in America from 1917-80?
Throughout the 20th century, the position of women certainly changed dramatically in the literal
capabilities and expectations upon women in society. Throughout the depression of the 30s, the
shift in lifestyle of the 50s and fluid political atmosphere of the 60s through to the 80s, from extreme
liberalism to rigid conservatism, women persevered to steadily increase their economic and social
standing. However, though the change from women’s position post World War One is quite
significantly different from their position nearing the turn 21st century, legislations are never
flawlessly enforced and society does not reach a “point of no return” in viewing women as totally
equal to men in their rights to freedom, employment and power within the US economy and society
as a whole.
In the period following the end of the First World War to the Second, which encompassed the
dramatic socio-economic changes of the booming 20s, the Great Depression, the emergence of
flappers and innovative New Deal policies, the position of women changed vastly. They gain a
significant amount of political power immediately following World War One, with the passing of the
19th Amendment allowing women to vote and the subsequent establishment of the League of
Women’s Voters in 1920 which fuelled the coordination of voting drives, women were able to use
their huge share of the demographic of voters to appear an attractive voting pool for politicians to
appeal to – potentially increasing visibility and future progress for their demands. This marks a great
stepping stone for the social, and therefore economic position of women in the early 20th century.
However, as a stepping stone does not immediately amount to progress, women were still
discriminated against in employment, as they were consistently paid less than men, and struggled to
made advancements under the sometimes ineffective work of the Women’s Bureau of Labour – the
limitation of work hours to only 10 meant women could often work enough to gain an adequate,
sustainable wage. However, with the election of Roosevelt and first-lady Eleanor Roosevelt, women
begin to once again benefit from considerable gains as a result of the New Deal, with the matching
of Civilian Conservation Corps with women’s employment camps such as Camp Tera, established in
1933, providing women with training. Its significance was limited, however, by its failures – men
were prioritised in New Deal policies as men were the primary workers of the economy, and
Q) How far did the position of women change in America from 1917-80?
Throughout the 20th century, the position of women certainly changed dramatically in the literal
capabilities and expectations upon women in society. Throughout the depression of the 30s, the
shift in lifestyle of the 50s and fluid political atmosphere of the 60s through to the 80s, from extreme
liberalism to rigid conservatism, women persevered to steadily increase their economic and social
standing. However, though the change from women’s position post World War One is quite
significantly different from their position nearing the turn 21st century, legislations are never
flawlessly enforced and society does not reach a “point of no return” in viewing women as totally
equal to men in their rights to freedom, employment and power within the US economy and society
as a whole.
In the period following the end of the First World War to the Second, which encompassed the
dramatic socio-economic changes of the booming 20s, the Great Depression, the emergence of
flappers and innovative New Deal policies, the position of women changed vastly. They gain a
significant amount of political power immediately following World War One, with the passing of the
19th Amendment allowing women to vote and the subsequent establishment of the League of
Women’s Voters in 1920 which fuelled the coordination of voting drives, women were able to use
their huge share of the demographic of voters to appear an attractive voting pool for politicians to
appeal to – potentially increasing visibility and future progress for their demands. This marks a great
stepping stone for the social, and therefore economic position of women in the early 20th century.
However, as a stepping stone does not immediately amount to progress, women were still
discriminated against in employment, as they were consistently paid less than men, and struggled to
made advancements under the sometimes ineffective work of the Women’s Bureau of Labour – the
limitation of work hours to only 10 meant women could often work enough to gain an adequate,
sustainable wage. However, with the election of Roosevelt and first-lady Eleanor Roosevelt, women
begin to once again benefit from considerable gains as a result of the New Deal, with the matching
of Civilian Conservation Corps with women’s employment camps such as Camp Tera, established in
1933, providing women with training. Its significance was limited, however, by its failures – men
were prioritised in New Deal policies as men were the primary workers of the economy, and
