1920 - 1940 Flashcards
1
Q
What was the ‘New Woman’ of the 1920’s?
A
- independent, working, driving and embracing new fashions
- primarily applied to white women
2
Q
What was the % of women in higher education by 1930?
A
- increased from 19% in 1900
- to 47% in 1930
3
Q
What was the impact of the Sheppard-Towner Act and when was it?
A
- 1921
- provided federal funding for maternal and infant healthcare
- repealed in 1929 due to backlash
4
Q
what percentage of women were working due in the 1930’s
A
- 10.5 million were working (25%) of the workforce
- 80% of married women were unemployed
5
Q
How did the great depression affect female employment
A
- many states passed ‘marriage bars’ banning married women from working
- however, this recovered by 1940 as 25% of married women were in the workforce
6
Q
What was the significance of Frances Perkins
A
- became first female cabinet member in 1933
- secretary of Labour
- Helped establish the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938), setting minimum wages and maximum working hours.
7
Q
How did the New Deal impact women
A
- Programs like the WPA (works progress administration) provided jobs for over 400,000 women
- mostly prioritised women in the workforce
- AA women faced even greater discrimination, only 2% of New Deal jobs going to AA women
8
Q
When was the Equal rights amendment and why did it struggle?
A
- introduced in 1923
- advocated for prohibiting discrimination based on sex
- faced resistance from labour unions
- lacked political support and was not ratified until 1972
9
Q
how did Eleanor Roosevelt help advance women’s civil rights?
A
- First lady 1933- 1945
- held press conferences for exclusively female journalists
- pushed for greater employment
- supported the National Youth Administration for young women
10
Q
how did women’s roles in government change during this period?
A
- more women held advisory roles in the New Deal
- non held high political power beyond Frances Perkins
- Hattie Caraway (1932) became the first elected woman to the US Senate
