Women's Fight to Reform their World in the Early 1900s

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It is no secret that no matter how much women continue to strive in the workplace, politics, etc., inequality will always persist. Throughout American history, the oppression of women has caused an adverse effect on humanity. Some men believed that embracing women as worthy of equal opportunities was a threat to them, as all the rules would be changing. However, the 1900s witnessed a change in that trend, as women started to fight and stand up for their rights. Women have stood on the frontline of this conflict, but at the end of the day they are only requesting “The power or privilege to which one is justly entitled” So, how did women’s role in society evolve from 1919 to 1941? Women’s role in society changed quite a bit during WWI and throughout the 1920s. During the 1910s women were very short or liberty and equality, life was like an endless rulebook. Women were expected to behave modestly and wear long dresses. Long hair was obligatory, however it always had to be up. It was unacceptable for them to smoke and they were expected to always be accompanied by an older woman or a married woman when outing. Women were usually employed with jobs that were usually associated with their genders, such as servants, seamstresses, secretaries and nursing. However during the war, women started becoming employed in different types of jobs such as factory work, replacing the men who had gone to fight in the war in Europe. In the late 1910s The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) had been fighting for decades to get the vote for women. As women had contributed so much to the war effort, it was difficult to refuse their demands for political equality. As a result, the Nineteenth Amendment to the constitution became law in 19... ... middle of paper ... .../socialstudies/mbrotsos/ush/10ushandouts/20s/newscast/changing%20roles%20for%20women.pdf Moran, Mickey. “1930s, America- Feminist Void?” Loyno. Department of History, 1988. Web. 11 May. 2014. "Women and Work." Women and Work. WESTGA EDU, Web. 11 May 2014. http://www.westga.edu/~hgoodson/Women%20and%20Work.htm Right." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, Web. 06 May 2014. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/right BBC News. BBC, Web. 06 May 2014. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/history/mwh/usa/1920srev2.shtml "Working and Voting — Women in the 1920s." American History USA RSS. Web. 11 May 2014. http://www.americanhistoryusa.com/working-voting-women-1920s/ "Societal Roles and Expectations through the 1940's-50's." : Role of Women during the 1940's. Web. 13 May 2014. http://americanhistory1940-50.blogspot.fi/p/role-of-women-during-1940s.html

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