USA--> Women's Role + Changes Flashcards
What characterized the role of women before World War I?
4+2
1) Most couldn’t vote
2) paid work was limited (domestic service, secretarial work, teaching)
3) Restrictive dresses
4) Controlled public behavior :
–> polite + discrete.
–>No drinking or smoking and if unmarried, no male company without a chaperone.
How did the role of women change during the First World War?
Women performed men’s work in war industries as men were required in the armed services, breaking traditional gender roles.
How did the role of women evolve after the First World War?
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Women became more independent:
-gained the right to vote
- entered the workplace as nurses and librarians
–>n^ of employed women increased by 25% by 1929. 10 million working in 1929
What characterized the modern woman and the “flapper” in the 1920s?
Rejected ideology that women’s sole role was to raise children.
–>The birth rate declined
Flappers embraced new fashions
–>( wore shorter, lighter skirts) + more liberated lifestyles
What characterized the lifestyle of flappers, and what were symbols of their freedom?
Flappers from wealthier families enjoyed better living standards.
They smoked / drank / kissed in public / drove cars
Short hair and makeup became symbols of their newfound freedom and independence.
How did Henry Ford influence the lives of women in the 1920s?
Women gained more independence as Henry Ford introduced colored cars in 1925, making driving more accessible to them.
How did the role of the average American woman change during the 1920s?
The role of the average American woman changed very little during the 1920s.
Significant changes were mostly observed in upper-middle-class women, who represented a minority of the overall female population in America during that time.
