1920s-Women

=Women of the 1920s:﻿﻿= =Thesis: Women in the 1920s gained more independence than ever before. This freedom presented itself in the workforce, fashion, birth control, and many other aspects of womens' lives.=



Women in the Workforce

 * Growing number of women have jobs: "pink collar" jobs-secretaries, salesclerks, operators.
 * Not industry-AFL did not help women
 * Underpaid (paid substantially less than men)
 * Many married women worked-huge change from the past. 25% of working women were married.
 * Working single women and low-middle class women as well

"Flappers"

 * "Modern woman whose liberated lifestyle found expression in dress, hairstyle, speech, and behavior" -Brinkley pg 661. Overall, gaining independence.
 * Term originated in Great Britain where women liked to wear golashes open, and the rubber "flapped"
 * 1920, 19th Amendment-women win the right to vote
 * By the 1920s, there had been about three generations of women to get college degrees-Few women had "high end jobs such as doctors or lawyers. Most women worked in education, nursing, fashion, etc.
 * "Companionate marriage"-wives became more like companions to their husbands and participated in husbands' social lives
 * Became acceptable for women to drink, smoke, dance, wear make-up, attend busy parties (not typical dinner parties), and wear different clothes
 * Women could try to become emotionally fulfilled-did not have to keep up the "perfect" image

Fashion

 * Cut hair short in bobs-no longer had to be restricted by long hair in fancy updos
 * Dresses no longer floor length and heavy-wore loose fitting dresses that stopped at the knees. De-emphasized curves and made movement easier.
 * No more corsets
 * Wore make-up
 * Dieting becomes popular-women wished to be slender rather than curvy



Birth Control

 * Margaret Sanger-promoted birth control such as the diaphragm-saw that large families were a cause of poverty and distress. Organized the Birth Control League, which became National Planned Parenthood in 1942
 * Limited success among the middle class
 * Many birth control methods remained illegal in many states
 * Abortion was illegal almost everywhere

Speak-easies

 * During prohibition-a club where alcohol was served illegally
 * Required a password, handshake, or special knock to get in (because serving alcohol was illegal)
 * Now socially acceptable for women to drink and smoke
 * Listened to Jazz and danced
 * Women wanted to enjoy the full benefits of being "freed" by the right to vote

"Feminist" Groups
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 * National Woman's Party- led by Alice Paul-campaigned for an Equal Rights Amendment. Didn't gain much congressional support
 * League of Women Voters
 * Sheppard-Towner Act, 1921-federal funds for prenatal and child healthcare. However, many feminists opposed. Alice Paul claimed it classified all women as mothers. Margaret Sanger claimed it discouraged birth control. American Medical Association feared that untrained people would be in the medical field.

Current Issue-Equal Pay for Women

 * According to Time Magazine, women earn on average 77 cents for each dollar a male worker earns
 * Complaints that women are still segregated into "pink collar" jobs-possible reason for pay gap
 * "Equal Pay for Equal Work"
 * Even among identical jobs, women can still earn less than men
 * Employeers argue that they have the right to determine how much work each individual does