Women Thematic

Question 1

When was the Women’s Christian Temperance Union established?

Answer 1

1874

Question 2

How many members had the Women’s Christian Temperance Union reached by 1920?

Answer 2

800,000

Question 3

Which political party gave women a platform in the early period?

Answer 3

The Populist Party. Elizabeth Lease was a well-known orator.

Question 4

What was the main difference between the NWSA and AWSA?

Answer 4

The AWSA supported the fifteenth amendment and advocated for a state based strategy.

Question 5

Which two states first gave women the right to vote?

Answer 5

Wyoming (1869)
Utah (1870)

Question 6

What was the outcome of ‘Minor vs Happersett’? (1875)

Answer 6

The Supreme Court ruled that citizenship did not imply the right to vote.

Question 7

Which anti-suffrage organisation was established in 1911?

Answer 7

The National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage.

Question 8

What were common arguments for suffrage?

Answer 8

They often did not invoke democratic principles. Usually they suggested that women voting would help to ban alcohol, help with social reforms and with matters relating to children. Arguments against suggested that female involvement in politics would undermine their special place in the home.

Question 9

When was the NAWSA formed?

Answer 9

1890, at its peak it reached 2 million members

Question 10

How were the NAWSA impactful during WWI?

Answer 10

The idea of a liberal alliance against Germany made states more receptive to NAWSA arguments. They were able to defeat two anti-suffrage senators.

Question 11

What were initial limitations to the 19th amendment?

Answer 11

i) Married women had to re-register as individuals
ii) Many women had difficulty travelling to polling stations, especially with children
iii) AA women remained disenfranchised in the South

Question 12

What was turnout in the 1920 Presidential election for women compared to men?

Answer 12

Women 36%
Men 68%

Question 13

How many women were in Congress by the outbreak of WWII?

Answer 13

9, which is about 2% of all Congress members.

Question 14

How many of the NAWSA members re-joined the League of Women’s voters?

Answer 14

10%

Question 15

What were divisions in the League of Women’s Voters?

Answer 15

Some like Jane Addams wanted to campaign on women’s issues, while others like Carrie Chapman Catt wanted women to integrate into political life and develop into equal citizens.

Question 16

What is evidence of increased female representation within government during the New Deal?

Answer 16

Francis Perkins was made Secretary of State for Labor. Roosevelt appointed 22 women to senior positions within his government.

Question 17

Compare women’s representation in Congress in 1941 to 1961.

Answer 17

1941: 9
1961: 19

Question 18

Compare women’s representation in Congress form 1961 to 1979.

Answer 18

1961: 19
1979: 20

Question 19

Demonstrate that the largest progress in female representation took place in the 1980s.

Answer 19

1979: 20
1991: 32

However, still only represented 7% of Congress. Large increases were seen after 1991, this began to take place in the 1980s.

Question 20

Which organisation was established in 1971 to encourage female unity and to campaign for female candidates for government?

Answer 20

National Women’s Political Caucus.

Question 21

At which point did women’s turnout equal men’s?

Answer 21

It took until the 1980s.

Question 22

When was the first female vice-presidential candidate?

Answer 22

1984, she lost.

Question 23

What was the main role of women at the start of the period?

Answer 23

Dealing with the domestic sphere. The lack of birth control meant that large family sizes took a lot of the time and energy of women.

Question 24

What was the Flapper Era of the 1920s?

Answer 24

It represented a relaxation of traditional values. Women wore shorter skirts, they went out more, they smoked and they were more ostentatious about their sexuality. However, this was limited in rural America. Some suggested it increased double standards. Increased sexual freedom a problem without contraception.

Question 25

Which women’s organisation was established in 1966?

Answer 25

National Organisation for Women. It’s aim was a truly equal relationship with men.

Question 26

What was second wave feminism?

Answer 26

It campaigned against sexual discrimination in society. Influential authors such as Betty Friedan ‘The Feminine Mystique’ and Kate Millet ‘Sexual Politics’.

Question 27

Why was the Equal Rights Amendment of the 1970s unsuccessful?

Answer 27

It came very close to ratification by the states. However, a successful Conservative backlash led by Phyliss Schlafly prevented ratification. Arguments against the ERA suggested that women would lose protection rights or find themselves liable for military service. There was also an appeal to traditional values and the type of lifestyle common in Suburban America.

Question 28

What was the verdict of ‘Roe vs Wade’? (1973)

Answer 28

The Supreme Court ruled that during the first three months of pregnancy, states could not prohibit abortion. It was significant as it put the life of the mother above the unborn foetus. Before, ‘Roe vs Wade’ it is estimated that there were a million illegal abortions a year.

Question 29

How did the Hyde amendment limit the impact of ‘Roe vs Wade’?

Answer 29

The Hyde Amendment barred the use of Medicaid to pay for abortion except when the women’s health was at risk or in cases or incest or rape. As a result, states could underfund abortion services.

Question 30

What was the verdict of ‘Planned Parenthood vs Casey’? (1992)

Answer 30

The Supreme Court ruled that informed consent and a 24-hour waiting period, as well as the notifying of a husband was required.

Question 31

What percentage of engineers were women in 1990?

Answer 31

8%

Question 32

What were the protective laws that characterised the Gilded Age approach to women in work?

Answer 32

These prevented women from working in certain occupations, or regulated working conditions, e.g. the number of hours worked, rest periods, lunch breaks, heavy lifting.

Question 33

What percentage of women worked in 1870?

Answer 33

15%. Most women who worked were unmarried and needed the income.

Question 34

What was the verdict of ‘Muller vs Oregon’? (1908)

Answer 34

The Supreme Court accepted the view that men and women were so different that legislation to protect women was justified. As a result, minimum wages were introduced for women.

Question 35

What was the verdict of ‘Adkins vs Children’s Hospital’ (1923)?

Answer 35

The Supreme Court ruled that minimum wages for women were unconstitutional.

Question 36

Which women were divided in the 1920s about their role in the economy?

Answer 36

There was a tension between social feminists such as the Women’s Bureau who desired protection and egalitarian feminists such as the National Women’s Party who desired equality, for example an Equal Rights Amendment (Alice Paul and Lucy Burns).

Question 37

What was the impact of WWI on female employment?

Answer 37

The diversity of employment for women increased. For example, they worked in munitions factories, meat packing plants or as stenographers. Many women worked for the Red Cross, and many went overseas to work as nurses. Some women worked as ‘yeomanettes’ in the US navy, mostly in clerical positions. On the home front, women were committed to kitchen pledges to reduce consumption of foods so that they could be deployed for soldier on the front line. There were virtually no opportunities for African American women overseas.

Question 38

What was the economic impact of WWII on women?

Answer 38

Female cooperation and participation were essential. Restrictions on women working fell away. There was a Women’s Advisory Committee established to advise on the utilisation of women for the war effort. Women worked in more skilled jobs and may have increased in confidence and status.

Question 39

What was a limitation of WWII for women economically?

Answer 39

By 1946, 2 million women had been fired from heavy industry. The pay gap increased from 1945 to 1960. There was a concentration of women in traditional roles such as nursing, teaching, social work. The African American wage differential remained high.

Question 40

What are examples of the shift towards egalitarianism of the 1960s for women economically?

Answer 40

i) Kennedy passed the Equal Pay Act in 1963 (equal pay for equal work).
ii) Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964) prohibited discrimination based on sex.
iii) In 1968, Johnson passed an executive order to include sex in the affirmative action required for firms with federal contracts.

Question 41

What did the 1991 Civil Rights Act mean for women?

Answer 41

It placed the burden on the employer to prove that they had not discriminated against women.

Question 42

What was the pay gap in 1961 compared to 1990?

Answer 42

1961: 40%
1990: 30%

Question 43

What was the biggest factor for women politically, socially, economically?

Answer 43

Political: Women’s organisations
Social: Supreme Court
Economic: Federal government

Question 44

What were the biggest turning points for women politically, socially, economically?

Answer 44

Political: 19th amendment
Social: 1970s
Economic: 1960s

Question 45

What was criminalised in 1978?

Answer 45

Marital rape