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Women in 1920s America

 

Advances in Women's Situation in the 1920s [VOICES]

a. Voting & Public Engagement

• 19th (1920) gave women the right to vote → politicians had to address women’s concerns.

• Some women entered politics; eg lobbying by the Woman's Joint Congressional Committee secured Act (1921) & other reforms.

• Organizations like the supported women in public life.

• campaigns & girl evangelists (eg Uldine Utley) allowed some women to influence public morals.

b. Opportunities from Education

• More women attended high school & college, gaining skills for professional careers.

c. Inventions & Household Appliances

• New appliances (eg washing machines, vacuum cleaners) & smaller homes reduced domestic workload → more time for education, employment, leisure.

d. Contraception

• Margaret Sanger founded the (1921) → birth control became more accessible, freeing women from constant child-rearing.

e. Employment

• Post-WW1 boom → 25% increase in working women (1920-29), esp in teaching, retail, marketing & manufacturing.

• Many women worked as secretaries or factory employees but gained roles in advertising & retail.

f. Societal Changes

• Lynds' ‘Middletown’ study noted changing attitudes, eg increasing .

• Flappers adopted modern styles (short skirts, short hair) & behaviours (smoking, drinking, jazz clubs) → symbolized freedom & challenged norms.

• Icons like popularized flapper culture, influencing wider fashion & attitudes.

• Media (films, radio) promoted independent female role models.

• Prohibition → easier for women to socialize in speakeasies than saloons.

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Limitations of Women's Progress in the 1920s [DUMB]

a. Discrimination

• Higher education limited to "suitable" fields (eg teaching, nursing).

• Women in low-paid jobs & paid less than men for the same work.

• Only 10m women (25% of females 15+) worked; most did unpaid domestic/farm labour.

• excluded women; female workers faced hostility.

• Poor, rural, African American, Latina, & Native American women faced discrimination & harsh conditions.

• High levels of & sexual harassment → limited legal protections.

b. Under-Representation in Politics

• Few women held office despite voting rights; many voted as their husbands did.

• Post-1920 campaign for an failed.

c. Marriage & Reproductive Rights

• Traditional gender roles prevailed; most women prioritized marriage & motherhood.

• Married women had limited legal rights (eg property ownership, signing contracts).

• Access to was limited (esp for poor/rural women).

d. Backlash & Diminishment

• Conservative backlash → promoting "decent" behaviour.

• Flappers (in books by such as F Scott Fitzgerald) were portrayed as shallow, obsessed with appearance, & dependent on men.

• By late 1920s, flapper image commercialized to sell cosmetics.