Society and culture in change, 1917-80 Flashcards
What was the 19th Amendment to the Constitution and when was it ratified?
It guaranteed women the vote in all US elections and was finally passed in 1920, having started in the House of Representatives in 1918.
Who founded The Women’s Party?
Alice Paul, copying the tactics of the British suffragettes - protesting and going on hunger strike once imprisoned
By 1930 some 10 million women were in work, but what occupations did they typically take up?
Traditional female roles (for the times) such as domestic servants, office workers, teachers and dressmakers
Who were ‘flappers’?
The term used to describe young women who adopted the latest crazes and fashion, typically with shorter hair and skirts
Who did Roosevelt appoint as secretary of labour in 1933?
Frances Perkins, the first female cabinet member
What is meant by a ‘patriarchy’?
A society were the man is the head of the household, the one who brings in the money and the woman’s role is to look after the home and children. By the 1930s, love and companionship started to form the basis of marriage - times were changing.
What roles did women typically have in the Women’s Army Corp?
Typists, drivers, telephonists, clerks, cooks - releasing men to fight. Thousands more worked as nurses or female orderlies.
Who was ‘Rosie the Riveter’?
She was a fictional poster campaign during WWII who represented women working in factories and in ship building. Previously thought unsuitable roles for women, may performed so well that attitudes changed. The slogan was “We Can Do It!”
In the 1930s, what proportion of Americans opposed the idea of married women in work? What was it by 1942?
Around 80%, by 1942 it had fallen to around 40%.
What changed for many women in the immediate period after the end of WWII? (Two things)
Women were encouraged, sometimes forced, to give up their jobs for returning veterans and there was a ‘baby boom’, returning many women back to the traditional role of housewife.
In what ways were women still discriminated against in the workplace between 1945-60? (Two ways)
Got paid substantially less for doing the same job (this continues today in some roles!) and relatively few given the opportunity to have skilled roles or enter professions e.g. doctors.
Two psychologists published a best selling book in 1947. Who were they, what was it called and what did it suggest?
Marynia Farnham and Ferdinand Lundberg wrote “Modern Woman: The Lost Sex”. It suggests that there was scientific evidence to suggest that women could only achieve fulfilment by accepting their natural functions as wives and mothers. Suffice to say, it was garbage!
What book did Betty Friedan write in 1963 and what views did it seek to challenge?
‘The Feminine Mystique’ and in it she claimed that advertisers and women’s magazines had created propaganda supporting ‘blissful domesticity’ and this was holding women back from achieving their true potential.
Who described the middle-class home as a ‘comfortable concentration camp’ for women?
Betty Friedan in ‘The Feminine Mystique’
What were the three main aims of the National Organisation for Women (NOW) and who founded it?
Founded by Betty Friedan and a small group of activists it wanted to end job discrimination based on gender, legalise abortions (illegal in 30 states) and obtain government support for childcare centres.
