Women's rights exam questions

Question 1

To what extent did the position of US Women improve during the Gilded Age? - economic improvement

Answer 1

• By 1865 29 states passed acts protecting married women’s rights to own property and by 1887 2/3 of the states had given married women control of their earnings
• Number of women in domestic service halved 1870-1900 while the number in better paid clerical work (in an office or as a telephone operator) increased tenfold
• As USA industrialised, single young women were able tp leave domestic service for better paid jobs in industries like food and textiles - in parts textiles were important like Atlanta - women amounted to 1/3 of the workforce

Question 2

To what extent did the position of US Women improve during the Gilded Age? - social improvement

Answer 2

• By 1900, half of high school graduates were women
• Women became increasingly active in trade unions: by the mid 1880s there were 100 female trade unions and women like Mary Harris Jones organised miners wives to oppose strike breaking and campaigned against child labour
• Bc of increased employment, reduced infant mortality and greater awareness of birth control the birth rate amongst white US women fell from 5.4 to 3.6 1850-1990 -
• as well as this divorce rate doubled 1880-1990 doubled from 1/21, to 1/12 due to changes in divorce law, better educated women and more financially independent, they became more assertive.

Question 3

To what extent did the position of US Women improve during the Gilded Age? - political and culture failures

Answer 3

• The ‘seperate spheres’ idea that the world of work and politics belonged to men whilst women ‘s role was in the home as mothers and housewives remained dominant and was accepted by women themselves

Question 4

To what extent did the position of US Women improve during the Gilded Age? - economic failures

Answer 4

• Women invariably paid less than men, not just barred from higher paid jobs but also if they did the same work

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Question 5

To what extent did the position of US Women improve during the Gilded Age? - social failures

Question 6

To what extent did the position of US Women improve during the Gilded Age? - political and cultural improvement

Answer 6

• Women enjoyed more equality in the new western states where the social structures was more fluid: Wyoming became the first state to offer them the vote in 1869 in the hope of attracting female immigrants

Question 7

Women benefitting from the New Deal 1933-41 - politicallly

Question 8

Women not benefitting from New Deal 1933-41 - politically

Question 9

Women benefitting from the New Deal 1933-41 - economically

Question 10

Women not benefitting from the New Deal 1933-41 - economically

Question 11

Women benefitting from the New Deal 1933-41 - socially

Question 12

Women not benefitting from the New Deal 1933-41 - socially