Topic 3 - Society and Culture in Change (WOMEN) Flashcards
1
Q
what was life like for women before the FWW
A
- disenfranchised (unable to vote) before FWW
2
Q
what was life like for women during the FWW
A
- enabled women to work
- though work paid less and expected to give up jobs for men when they returned and they didn’t have the same respect that men had in the workplace
- they were simply stand-ins
3
Q
what was the 19th amendment
A
- August 1920
- women given the vote
- but many poorer women didn’t vote
- or voted under their husband’s influence
- very few black women voted
- it did seem to usher in the new decade and era in which a new breed of liberated and modern women became one of the most celebrated icons of all time
4
Q
what was Wilson’s attitude towards the rights of women
A
- he said “this is the time to support Women Suffrage”
- Americans divided about the issue
5
Q
what did the female suffragettes do in 1917
A
- parade in NYC in 1917 carrying placards with signatures of more than a million women
6
Q
discuss employment discrimination in 1917
A
- less likely to get a job than a man
- more likely to be made redundant in a time of crisis
- passed over for promotions in favour of men
- glass ceiling - can’t reach top jobs
- seen as unreliable and less committed then men
- given no credit for intelligence and ideas
- not given jobs as may get pregnant and quit
7
Q
what was life like for women after the FWW
A
- in the period of ‘normalcy’ society expected women to resume their pre-war traditional roles as housewives and women
- there were new jobs available for women though like typists and shop assistants
8
Q
what was created for women in 1920
A
- A Women’s Bureau of Labor was created in 1920
- as the number of females employed rose from 7.6 mil to 13 mil (9.8% of the population)
- works to create parity for women in the labor force
- its a government department
- yet women with same jobs as men were paid less and hired on ‘last hired first fired’ principle
9
Q
what was the Gibson Girls
A
- at turn of century
- personification of the feminine ideal of physical attractiveness
- illustrations by artist Charles Gibson
- a new women who instantly challenged and changed the standard feminine image
- these free spirited, fierce women were emboldened by the suffragists who broke apart the traditional female roles
- by the outbreak of the FWW changing fashions caused the Gibson Girl to fall out of fashion as women moved with the times
10
Q
what had progressive politics introduced at the turn of the century
A
- had introduced new divorce laws and jobs were been taken by women who no longer considered their home as the only working place
- these “New Women” especially the younger ones were forging an identity that represented an authentic milestone in women’s history
11
Q
who were the Flappers of the roaring 20s
A
- wore revealing clothes for the time yet had androgynous looks (partly male partly female in appearance) in order to compete with men in society
- ‘de-sexing’ of women
- young women of the flappers made the most of their freshly-gained independence
- worked
- some attended male sports even without a male escort
- often stereotyped as being flippant, unintelligent and reckless
- abandoned traditional Victorian era values of their parents and grandparents
12
Q
what was the impact of the Flappers
A
- shocking
- shifted public perception of women, even though most later resumed traditional roles
13
Q
what was the impact of the Great Depression on women
A
- affected people across class rather than gender
- but many women ended up as the sole bread winner in the family as unemployment gripped America
- women with families suffered great hardships in raising children in very difficult economic circumstances
- when it began the optimistic momentum of the various women’s movements evaporated as the nation focused on putting its men to work
- focus on economy not women
14
Q
how did FDR and his New Deal aid women
A
- New Deal did provide aid for families with dependent children
- but as a rule men were deemed the priority in New Deal policies
- Although there were no alphabet agencies created for women some 36 camps were provided for unemployed women
- he did create the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1935
- he also appointed Frances Perkins
15
Q
what was the Works Progress Administration (WPA)
A
- encouraged women back to work
- created by FDR
- May 6th 1935
- by an exec order
- an ambitious employment/infrastructure programme
- put roughly 8.5 million Americans back to work
- at its height in 1938 more than 3.3 mil Americans worked directly for the WPA
16
Q
what was the impact of FDR’s Works Progress Administration specifically for women
A
- the WPA put women to work in clerical jobs, gardening, canning and as librarians and seamstresses
- women engaged in sewing projects made up about seven percent of the national WPA workforce
17
Q
who was Fannie Peck
A
- founded the National Housewives’ League of Detroit on June 10th 1930 (under Hoover)
- 50 members
- to advance the economic status of AA
- became a national organisation that campaigned for the rights of AA housewives
- motto - ‘stabilize the economic status of the Negro through directed spending’
18
Q
how did the increase of electrical goods following the SWW impact women
A
- electrical goods like refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, toasters, irons etc led to a revolution in the household
- time saving gadgets allowed women to both work and keep house
- these items empowered women as well as restricting them
19
Q
who was Frances Perkins
A
- the first female Cabinet member as FDR’s Secretary for Labor for his entire term
- the conscience of the New Deal era
- also a member of the US Civil Commission at the request of President Truman
- 1910 headed the New York Consumers League fighting for better hours and workplace conditions
- she was largely responsible for the US instituting social security, a minimum wage, unemployment benefits, a 40 hours work week and regulation of child labor
20
Q
what was the 1936 Rural Electrification Act
A
- Under FDR
- Gave many poor families access to electricity
21
Q
when was the progressive era
A
- 1900-1920
- brought women out of the house and onto the national stage
- seeds of women’s liberation were planted and watered through the New Deal to be harvested after the war and beyond
22
Q
what was the 1940 Selective Training and Service Act
A
- under FDR
- even before USA entered SWW, it prepared to draft men to military and train women to fill their jobs including ship building and aircraft assembly
23
Q
why did so few women work in 1940 and how did FDR combat this
A
- only 16% of married women worked due to childcare problems
- 1941 Lanham Act where he extended childcare provision
- 1944 there were 130,000 kids in day care
24
Q
in 1943 how many women worked in agriculture
A
3 million
25
Q
what did the SWW war mean specifically for black women
A
- due to work shortages as men were fighting black women could be trained for jobs not previously open to them
- though they still had to come with discrimination and segregation
26
Q
how many women worked in munitions factories during the SWW
A
6 million
27
Q
statistics of women working in SWW
A
- 350,000 served in US armed forces at Home and Abroad
- 200,000 joined the Women’s Army Corps
- between 1940-45 women in employment increased from 27% to 37%
- by 1945 nearly 1/4 married women worked outside the home
28
Q
what were post second world war attitudes to women at work like
A
- female employment rose again after the war especially for married women between 45-54
- war had much to do with this
- made female work more accepted
- altered attitudes of husband - 1936 82% thought married women shouldn’t work - 1942 only 13%!!
- female appetite for work strong - many who had worked during the war wished to continue
29
Q
how did the end of the SWW also lead to return of traditional roles
A
- it was strongly encouraged by the media
- retail advertising was most influential in restoring gender inequality in the home
30
Q
what was the ideal american women in 1956 as described by life magazine
A
- under Ike
- pretty, popular, good wife, mother, hostess, make own clothes, married at 16, works with school PTA, does food shopping, cooks, planning to study French
- main accomplishment having children
- drives them to school
31
Q
discuss womens wages between 1950-60
A
- under Truman and Ike
- by 1950 women only earned 53% of what men did
- much of the equality gained in the war gave way to more traditional roles for men and women
- ‘a women’s place in the home’
- but more women did work
- 1960 - some 40% of women in stereotypical low income ‘womens jobs’ like offices and retail
32
Q
what were the suburbs
A
- post-war construction boom
- offered middle class/wealthy white americans the lure of house ownership
- affordable - commuting distance from city
- had own schools, cinemas, sport complexes, shops
- by 1960 19 mil more lived there than in 1950
33
Q
what was the impact of the suburbs on women
A
- encouraged social networks for housewives
- created a subset of women with far too much time on their hands
- the 1950s stereotypical female
34
Q
give the main events of the female movement in 1960-70
A
UNDER JFK
- 1961 called for a Commission of Enquiry into the Status of women
- 1963 equal pay act
UNDER LBJ
- 1964 CR act
- 1966 Formation of the National Organisation for Women (NOW)
- 1969 Formation of the National Associatio for the Repeal of Abortion laws
- 1969 Women’s Equity Action League formed
UNDER NIXON
- 1970 some states allowed abortion
- 1972 Supreme Court ruling to permit access to contraception for unmarried women
- ERA added to Constitution but never ratified
- 1973 Abortion federally legalised
35
Q
what did JFK’s 1961 enquiry into the status of women report about the 1963 Equal Pay Act
A
- that while the act was great it was going to be difficult to enforce for a number of reasons:
- women still discriminated against in employment training, promotion and access to work
- inadequate day care facilities
- hotel/domestic work not included in minimum pay rates
- girls not encouraged to think about careers
- not enough school employment counsellors
- act still had an impact in passing CRA of 1964 tho
36
Q
what was the National Organisation for Women (NOW)
A
- created 1966
- Betty Friedan and other women founded
- sixfold agenda
- equal rights in the constitution
- law banning sex discrimination in workplace
- maternity leave rights
- child day care centres
- equal education
- the right of women to control reproductive rights
- aimed to work within the political system to attain equality for women and stronger enforcement of the CRA and equal pay act
37
Q
discuss conservative opposition to women liberation groups
A
- Phyllis Schlafly created the STOP ERA 1972
- under Nixon
- campaign to protest ERA of 1972
- created the Eagle Forum to support family values and campaign against equal rights and abortion
- believed women designed to have babies so should not be in equal employment
- couldn’t see their daughters joining the US army
- worried women would lose tax and benefit privileges because of equal rights
38
Q
discuss the don’t iron while the strike is hot
A
- 1970
- slogan used for march by radicals on the 50th anniversary of women obtaining the vote
- gained massive publicity
- NOW rose from 1000 members in 1967 to 40,000 in 1974
- prolonged period after the EPA and CRA showing how ineffective they really were
- the movement took a long time to gain momentum enough to have significant impact and outreach
39
Q
what is interesting about the Equal Pay Act 1963
A
- despite been passed as an amendment to the constitution in 1972 it was never fully ratified and still is not ratified
