The Young Women’s Christian Association has become a worldwide force for female empowerment, health and equality. The mission of the YWCA, for the past 150 years, has been to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families and strengthen communities. Begun in 1858 in NY, today, the YWCA has grown to 125 countries worldwide and serves more than 25 million people in need of services and is growing. It is currently the oldest and largest multicultural women’s organization in the world and has had a role in major movements in race relations and labor representation. On a local level, the YWCA offers safe havens for victims of domestic violence, provides rape crisis counseling, help with childcare and job training. As a nonprofit organization, the YWCA has had some financial hardships due to a flood of low income high need individuals during the past decade. Closures have impacted communities negatively. This paper discusses the history of the YWCA, the trends affecting, and possible changes that could have a positive impact on the YWCA.
The YWCA: A Historical Women’s Movement
The History of YWCA Program Development The YWCA first opened its doors in NY
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Young ladies were educated to find gainful, respectable employment and infused with Christian morals and teachings. In 1860, the YWCA opened the first boarding house for female students, teachers and factory workers in New York City as women moved from farms to cities. During the 1870s, in order to place more women in jobs, the YWCA held the first typewriting classes for women, which was formerly considered a man’s occupation. With that, the YWCA opened the first employment bureau. The YWCA began branching out in the 1890s with locations catering to the African American community in Dayton, Ohio and Native American women in Oklahoma. (Anna Rice, A History of the World’s Young Women’s Christian Association,
Informally, Girls Inc. was started in 1864 in Connecticut, for daughters of working class mill families (girlsinc.org, 2014). This club was an informal gathering place, a bright spot in girls’ lives during the Great Depression, where they could learn sewing skills, make friends, and connect with mentors (girlsinc.org). It was feelings of belonging, increased self worth, and a home away from home, that was the driving force behind the effort to gather 19 clubs in the New England area to become the Girls Club of America in 1945, a name that would last ten years (girlsinc.org).
women started serving on school boards and local bodies, and more women began to become
In “Women in the Twentieth Century and Beyond”, Kimberly M. Radek discusses the struggling events that occurred throughout history in order for gender discrimination to be eliminated.
As we look around at our women in today’s era, we might ask how did she become so independent, successful, and confidant? Even when I look at my own my mom, she was hired as the first woman to work as a manager at a fortune 500 business, and then created her own business. As well as my friends’ mom, who also has her own business in psychology; accomplishments like these must have originated from somewhere. The answer lies in the 1920’s. A couple years earlier, World War I was waging havoc, killing many men, while allowing women more freedom. The effects of World War I gave birth to the new women, also known as the Flappers, and inspiration for the 19th amendment. The flappers stirred up traditions and launched a new way of living. It soon became very apparent that the new women of the 1920’s helped redefine the social norms of society.
Although in today’s society women are sometimes still subjected to practices that label them as inferior to men, whether it’s in a marriage where the woman must stay at home to care for the child or in the workplace where the female is paid an average of 25 cents less than men, the fight for equality for women has come a long way since the 1920’s and 30’s. This is the time period that Kari Boyd McBride reflects upon for women in her essay “A Boarding House is not a Home: Women’s Work and Woman’s Worth on the Margins of Domesticity.” McBride’s essay is valuable because of the experience and knowledge she has about her field, which is that of Women’s Studies.
Works Cited Lewis, John Johnson. National Organization for Women - NOW! Women's History - Comprehensive Women's History Research Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. The Web.
Hymowitz, Carol, and Michaele Weissman. A History of Women in America. New York: Bantam, 1978. Print.
In the 1920s, women struggled to develop a work identity that would give them professional status and preserve their femininity (Walkowitz, 1051). They wanted to be eligible for an executive position, but at the same time they also wanted to be Women finally began working outside the home, but not yet at the level, status, and rank they deserved. They deserved
Women's activism has brought and is continuously causing changes in the country that are more liberating and emancipating of the women's rights and place in the society. With the help of brave, bold, and principled women, the status and roles of women in the nation have become more meaningful. Indeed, the 20th century was a turning point in the lives of many women. This was the time when women battled against the oppressions brought by patriarchy through crusading for the promotion of their civil rights, sexual freedom, and pursuing careers which were once forbidden to them.
Without women’s shelters, millions of abused women would not have a “way out” of the danger they face each and every day. Based on the statistics, survival stories that are typical of victims helped at a shelter, and the beneficial resources provided at shelters, it is obvious that women’s shelters are very effective and necessary. It is crucial that these shelters receive adequate funding in order to give victims of domestic violence a hope for a better future.
All references are from Sweet Briar College's 1996 Orientation Anthology, (Women's Place, Women's Choices: The Public Careers and Personal Experiences of American Women. Ed. Cynthia M. Patterson and Martha Woodroof, 1996.)
Around the 1950’s and 60’s, the Civil Rights and Anti-war movements began to lay the ground work for the feminist movement. During the 1970’s, spousal abuse became a public issue and the battered women’s movement was brought to the public eye. At this time there were several movements under way such as, women’s liberation, women’s health, and anti-rape movements. As a results of the success of these agencies and the resources and networking that already was in place, many battered women’s shelters were opened across the United States. The first of these, was the Women’s Advocates shelter in St. Paul, Minnesota which opened in 1973. It was not until 1984 that a bill, The Family Violence Prevention Services Act was passed through Congress. This act would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Service to give grants to States that would assist them in creating, expanding, and maintaining programs and projects that aid in the prevention of family violence.
Men have dominated the workforce for most of civilization up until their patriotic duties called away to war. All of a sudden, the women were responsible for providing for their family while the men were away. Women went to work all over America to earn an income to insure their family’s survival. Women took all sorts of jobs including assembly line positions, office jobs, and even playing professional baseball. When the men returned home from war, the women were expected to resume their place as housewives. The women who had gotten a taste of the professional life decided that they wanted to continue working. Thus, the introduction to women in a man’s working environment began. Women were not taken seriously at first, because they were stepping into a “man’s world”.
Many US Women’s experiences have been shaped from the intersecting power inequalities that they have faced throughout their lives. These inequalities bring criticism, cruelty and sometimes death; however these women continue to fight for their rights through protests, activist organizations and by remaining composed when faced with adversities.
“Between 1870 and 1920, the number of women in the work forces more than doubled.” (pg. 500) Many contributions had led to this. The woman of America had various jobs during the period. Such jobs these ladies had were being care takers, servants, textile workers, and social workers. Many women however took a turn in the century and began taking control of college. With this came greater opportunities because “there were nearly 1,000 women social workers in 1890 and nearly 30,00...