OCR textbook - campaign for political rights (3) new deal

Question 1

employment opportunities for women in new deal

Answer 1

• by feb 1934, 275,000 women worked in the civil works administration
• by 1935, there were ~204,000 women in work division of the federal emergency relief administration
• the works progress administration (1935-43) provided work relief which amounted to 409,954 employed in sep 1938
• march 1940, ~377,000 young women were enrolled in the national youth administration projects

Question 2

how many women were involved overall in new deal work relief

Answer 2

743,000

Question 3

political changes

Answer 3

• eleanor roosevelt (first lady) pushed for more women in public office
  –> most significant appointment = frances perkins as secretary for labour & member of the cabinet

Question 4

what are the arguments against women gaining true positions of authority

Answer 4

• federal agencies largely run by men
• political rights didn’t translate into being able to achieve social justice in new legislation –> discriminated against mothers/married women to boost employment for men
• AA women (south) suffered racial discrimination in social security
• built-in inequality in pensions
• no attempt in labour legislation to secure equal wages

Question 5

progress between 1865 & 1940s

Answer 5

progress
- eligible to vote due to constitutional amendment
- members of congress/state legislatures
- held office locally/nationally
- woman cabinet minister
- (by 1945) more evidence of women being involved in national politics & they were active - both parties
- both parties campaigned for women’s support
- some attitudes had changed

Question 6

not progress between 1865 & 1940s

Answer 6

not progress
- campaign for constitutional change via an ERA wasn’t more powerful/supported than suffrage had been in the 1860s
- problems with this change
- divisions in female opinion
- devotion to equality not always shown by women who achieved influence/power in the new deal organisations
- attitudes had not changed universally
- attitudes to equal pay, women working and (some states) to ;egal rights resonated more w/ the 1870s
- ability of women from ethnic minorities to participate in voting & holding office in the south hadn’t changed greatly from the 1860s –> due to the southern states abilities to maintain restrictions on AA registration/voting (only ended in 1960s)

Question 7

impact of war - ww1 v. civil war

Answer 7

ww1 had bigger impact:
- WW1 brought political change & the constitutional amendment seemed bigger/more significant change than changes brought by civil war
- right to vote after WW1 (even though significant), wasn’t accompanied by a lot of change in women’s social, legal & economic status

civil war had bigger impact:
- civil war may be seen as more important
- brought increased participation in public affairs & greater confidence/higher expectations for women to be seen as significant outside of the home
- civil war brought important changes for AA (women) with the end to slavery