Changing Role of Women 1945-2000

Question 1

Impact of the Second World War and the 1950’s

Answer 1

• WW2 increased employment opportunities for women: 6 million women entered factories in traditional male jobs as machinists and toolmakers; 300,000 joined the armed forces.
• After the war, the majority of women gave up their wartime jobs and returned to their roles as mothers and wives, or to their traditional female jobs in teaching, nursing and secretarial work.
• In the 1950’s the media encouraged women to return to their traditional roles however many still sought employment due to boredom but job opportunities were limited.

Question 2

Women’s position in the workforce - 1950’s and 1960’s

Answer 2

• In 1950 women made up 29% of the workforce; by 1960 this had risen to 50%. However a government report published in 1963 revealed women earned only 50-60% of the wages that men earn from doing the same job; it also showed that 95% of company managers were men and only 7% of all doctors and 4% of all lawyers were women.

Question 3

The growth of the feminist movement - 1960’s and 1970’s

Answer 3

• In 1963, Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique which ridiculed the belief that women were only suited to low paid jobs.
• In 1966 Friedan and others set up the National Organisation of Women (NOW) which demanded equal rights for women.
• More Radical than NOW was the Women’s Liberation Movement which became more active and burned their bras in public.

Question 4

Changes in the law - 1960’s and 1970’s

Answer 4

• The Civil Rights Act 1964, banned discrimination due to gender.
• In 1973 abortion was legalised, giving women more freedom of choice.

Question 5

The growth of the feminist movement - 1980 to 2000

Answer 5

• During the last two decades of the twentieth century women broke into traditionally male dominated careers.
• In 1981 Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman to be appointed to the US Supreme Court.
• In 1983 Dr Sally Ride became the first American woman to enter space on the shuttle Challenger.
• By 1995, 70% of working age women were in employment, compared with only 38% in 1955. However many of these jobs were in traditional female occupations and by 1998 women’s earning were about 75% those of men.