The position of women in the 1920s

Question 1

Context of the position of women before the 1920s

Answer 1

Women were very much second-class citizens in the USA before 1917. They played no part in politics and did not have the vote

Question 2

Example of women’s initial social position before 1920s

Answer 2

Their social position was restricted and there were limited employment opportunities.

Question 3

The impact of the First World War

• War effort

Answer 3

Over a million of women helped with the war effort because 2.8 million of men had been drafted into the armed forces by the end of the WW1

Question 4

The impact of the First World War

• US armed forces in Europe

Answer 4

Around 90,000 served in the US armed forces in Europe, for example the Navy and Marine Corps enlisted women as clerks

Question 5

Implication of women working during the WW1

Answer 5

By working in jobs traditionally done my men, such as heavy industry, proved women could do the jobs just as well as men

Question 6

Impact upon women’s behaviour working during the WW1

Answer 6

It encouraged greater freedom, especially in social habits, such as smoking and drinking in public.

Question 7

The impact on voting rights of the First World War

Answer 7

Women’s participation made a powerful argument for women’s voting rights, weighting heavily in the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment giving American women the right to vote in 1920.

Question 8

The impact of the consumer boom of the 1920s

Answer 8

It gave women more opportunity for leisure and recreational activities.

Question 9

The impact of the ‘Jazz Age’ in the 1920s

Answer 9

The popularity of the cinema, radio and dance halls provided further opportunities for women.

Question 10

Facts on women in employment

Answer 10

By 1930, 2 million more women were employed than had been ten years ago.

Question 11

Negativities in employment for women

Answer 11

Employment for women tended to be in unskilled low-paid jobs.

Question 12

University for women

Answer 12

Despite a third of university degrees were awarded to women in 1930, only 4% of university professors were women

Question 13

Supreme Court and women

Answer 13

Women received no support from the Supreme Court, which banned all attempts to set minimum wages for women

Question 14

Example for unfairness in work

• Government took side in 1927

Answer 14

In 1927, the government took the side of the employers when women textile workers in Tennessee went on strike for better pay.
The strikers were arrested by the local police.

Question 15

Politics

• In general

Answer 15

Women were given the vote in 1920.

A few women did make progress in gaining political power but little.

Question 16

Example of progress in politics

Answer 16

Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman to be elected governor of a state in 1924.

Question 17

Example of failure

• The women’s movement

Answer 17

The women’s movement failed in its attempt to get the Equal Rights Amendment Act passed, which would have given them equality in law with men.

Question 18

What did other people think about women in politics

Answer 18

Political parties wanted women’s vote but did not see them as realistic candidates for political office.

Question 19

Situation of women and birth control

Answer 19

Women often lacked the means of contraception, and were forced into dangerous back-street abortions, which may have killed as many as 50,000 women per year.

Question 20

Who were the flappers in the 1920s?

Answer 20

Women from middle- and upper-class families living in the Northern states, decided to challenge the traditional attitudes to and appearance of women.

Question 21

How were the flappers different?

Answer 21

They tried to show a greater independence and freedom in their appearance and social life.

Question 22

Opponents of the flappers in the 1920s

Answer 22

They were seen as too extreme by many traditional groups, especially in rural areas, with strong disapproval from religious societies.

Question 23

Negatives of the flappers

Answer 23

The flappers’ movement was a form of exploitation which reinforced gender stereotypes as women seemed to focus on indulgence and beauty rather than serious issues.