women's rights and campaigns up to wwii

w0men's rights and campaigns up to ww11

-  in 1920 equality for women seemed a long way off. the inter-war years saw campaigns for more rights. women suffered discrimination in voting qualifications in some states, in a similar way to african americans at the end of reconstruction. there were still restrictions on their right to run for public office, and in some states, to own land. as late as the 1960's, some states wouldn't let married women sign legal contracts by themselves. in every sphere, economic, social and political, men dominated. voting was often dominated by husband's preferences or made difficult by women having to re-register to vote. by 1933 there were only 146 women in state legislatures and by 1939 there had only been two state governors, both standing in for husbands who had died or become ill while in office. 

the new deal

- the 1920's had been, on the surface, a time of more freedom for women socially. in the so-called 'flapper era', clothing was less restricted and there was more acceptance of freer social and sexual behavior. however, for most american women, this freedom was limited. rural america didn't experience the economic boom or social freedoms of the cities. the effects of the great depression from 1929 fell severely on women workers, who were often expected to give up jobs for unemployed men. 

the new deal

- franklin roosevelt was elected democratic president in 1932. his progressive and reformist administration promised a 'new deal' for america. roosevelt's wife, eleanor, was a vocal supporter of women's rights. women were given a place on many advisory boards within the new bodies set up to deal with relief, recovery and reform. there was a female cabinet member for the first time, frances perkins, who was secretary for labour. by 1945 there were 254 women elected for state legislatures. women gained from legislation which affected working practices and conditions for all workers, rather than any specific new deal legislation which promoted equality and opportunity. generally, men decided all major policies and came first in schemes to create work. 

the second world war

- the outbreak of the second world war saw an increase in women working and an extension of the sort of work women did, as the practice of exclusively male jobs had to end as men were recruited into the armed forces. the famous poster 'rosie the riveter' pictured a woman doing a traditional male job in engineering. women were encouraged to take on new jobs by government propaganda and there was a special women's advisory committee to facilitate the the use of female labour for the war effort. 

the second world war

-  there were more women in the armed forces, public office, the civil service, congress and state legislatures during the second world war. however, there was little progress in other areas :  women were still paid less than men. women did not participate on any scale in major decision making in military or political affairs. there was limited provision for childcare or cheap meals, so women workers had to deal with the dual responsibilities at work and at home.  african american women did not experience the same opportunities as white women.  many women remained in clerical work. by 1945, around 70 percent of all clerical work was being done by women, but that was a traditional role. 

the second world war

- however, the experience of war, the extension of opportunities given to work independently away from home, the experience of foreign travel for women in the armed forces, greater responsibilities and skilled work did develop women's rights. the end of the war, however, saw a large reduction in the number of women working - some 2 million women lost their jobs by 1946. male dominance returned and the wage gap between men and women increased by 1960.