During World War I, most of the men were sent overseas to fight. With this happening, back home in the United States we needed people to work the everyday jobs the men left and also workers to make supplies for the war. During World War I women in the United States, took over jobs that were normally filled by men. The jobs that they gained gave them the push to a new era of women. This new era led to women having a sexual realization and dressing less conservative, drinking, smoking, working, dancing, going to college, and even getting involved in politics.
During the first world war women filled jobs such as railway guards, ticket collectors, conductors, postal workers, police, firefighters, bank tellers and clerks, factories, civil service, and mechanic or engineering jobs. Munition factories, which hired mostly women during this time period, produced 80% of the weapons and shells used by the British Army. After the war ended, women did not want to leave the jobs they had gained during the war. Even though women were getting paid less than men for the same job they still did not want to leave those jobs (1). Only 15% of white and 30% of black married women held jobs and had wage-earning husbands. Most Americans still thought that a women should not have job if their husband had one. However, the acceptance of women in different occupations was growing. By 1930 one in every four women held a job. Having a job during this time gave women independence. Even though this idea was slowly growing to be accepted by many, getting married was still the goal of most women. A women’s social security and social status was still thought of as dependent on marriage. With this being said, most women only worked until they were married (2).
With women suddenly more independent they also started dressing themselves in a completely different style. The old corsets, high waistline, and full skirts were turned into short, lose fitting, low waistline, and fringe/beaded dresses. Women had a flattened figure in these dresses. The boyish figure with the short haircuts were a new phenomenon in this time period. This new fashion helped women represent the new freedom and independence that they had gained after World War I. Women’s fashion in the 1920’s was a rejection of the stuffy Victorianism and the “Gibson Girl” look.
Women who had never liked even the smell of smoke started smoking cigarettes. Cigarettes were a sign of sophistication for women and the 1920's flapper was always pictured with one in her hand. The ‘flapper’ is a term that represents the women that dressed in the boyish figured clothing, danced around, smoked, and drank (3). Women also started wearing makeup, which before was only associated with prostitution. They did not try to imitate nature with their makeup. They made the makeup very unnatural looking and they also started acting differently. The biggest thing that women acted different about was sex. Flappers knew all about sex and had no issues with discussing it in front of others. Women followed men like Freud and decided that women’s desires were just as natural as men’s so they were often found dancing close, kissing, or even having premarital sex (4).
The biggest change for women in this time period was political. In 1920 women got the right to vote. However, many women did not take advantage of this right to vote right away. The belief that men were in separate spheres and that women should only concern themselves with home, children, and religion was still strong. With this being said many women still realized that politics affected their daily life. Women thought that it was their duty to take a serious part in politics during this time period. Even though it took them awhile to take advantage of their right to vote, by the end of the decade women were represented on local, state, and national levels (6).
After women got their rights to vote they started fighting for what they believed in. All of the different women’s groups focused on different platforms and approached them in different ways. Some worked with one political parties but others stayed neutral. There were also groups that only had one topic they were fighting for while others had many. Women were also now working in the government. They were still being segregated into jobs that everyone thought were women’s jobs like secretary of education or secretary of state. Women actually did better on the local level of government. Many of the efforts women fought for were things like pensions for impoverished dependent women, education and industrial reform, wage and hour laws for working women, women’s legal rights, and a wide range of child health programs. There were a lot of different things, like the above, that women fought for during this time but in no way were all women on the same page. There were hundreds of leaders and hundreds of different ideas and plans. As one activist put it in 1923, “The American women’s movement, and her interest in great moral and social questions, is splintered into a hundred fragments under as many warring leaders” (7).
Women’s lives changed in the 1920’s in various ways. The push for independence from the world war and the suffragists really helped women move forward in the world. Women started stepping up and going to college which led to jobs that they could actually get. Women also had a sexual awakening that led to them changing from Victorian fashion to flappers. When women got the right to vote things really took off politically speaking. Ever since the “new women” of the 1920’s women have been standing up and getting their own independence. No longer is there the idea that men can only do certain jobs because they are stronger.
1. "World War I: 1914-1918," strikingwomen.org, Accessed 23 January 2016, http://www.striking-women.org/module/women-and-work/world-war-i-1914-1918.
2. Louise Benner, "Women in the 1920's in North Carolina," ncpedia.org, Published 1 January 2004, Accessed 23 January 2016, http://ncpedia.org/history/20th-Century/1920s-women.
3. Ibid.
4. "Sophisticated Ladies: Women of the 1920's," arenastage.org, Published 2010, Accessed 23 January 2016, http://www.arenastage.org/shows-tickets/sub-text/2009-10-season/sophisticated-ladies/sophisticated-ladies.shtml.
5. Russel Patterson, "Where There's Smoke There's Fire," loc.gov, Published [192-?], Accessed 23 January 2016.http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.missouristate.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b21866d6-087c-4be6-9b92- c5cb8517c422%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=125.
6.. Louise Benner, "Women in the 1920's in North Carolina,"
7. Dumenil Lynn, "The New Women and the Politics of the 1920's," ebscohost.com, Published July 2007, Accessed 23 January 2016, http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.missouristate.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b21866d6-087c-4be6-9b92-c5cb8517c422%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=125.
Bibliography
Benner, Louise. "Women in the 1920's in North Caroline." ncpedia.org. Published 1 January 2004. Accessed 23 January 2016. http://ncpedia.org/history/20th- Century/1920s-women.
Dumenil, Lynn. "The New Women and the Politics of the 1920's." ebscohost.com. Published July 2007. Accessed 23 January 2016. http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.missouristate.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b21866d6-087c-4c5cb8517c422%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=125.
Patterson, Russel. "Where There's Smoke There's Fire." loc.gov. Published [192-?]. Accessed 27 January 2016. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2009616115/
"Sophisticated Ladies: Women of the 1920's." arenastage.org. Published 2010. Accessed 23 January 2016. http://www.arenastage.org/shows- tickets/sub-text/2009-10-season/sophisticated-ladies/sophisticated- ladies.shtml.
"World War I: 1914-1918." strinkingwomen.org. Accessed 23 January 2016. http://www.striking-women.org/module/women-and-work/world- war-i-1914-1918.
During the first world war women filled jobs such as railway guards, ticket collectors, conductors, postal workers, police, firefighters, bank tellers and clerks, factories, civil service, and mechanic or engineering jobs. Munition factories, which hired mostly women during this time period, produced 80% of the weapons and shells used by the British Army. After the war ended, women did not want to leave the jobs they had gained during the war. Even though women were getting paid less than men for the same job they still did not want to leave those jobs (1). Only 15% of white and 30% of black married women held jobs and had wage-earning husbands. Most Americans still thought that a women should not have job if their husband had one. However, the acceptance of women in different occupations was growing. By 1930 one in every four women held a job. Having a job during this time gave women independence. Even though this idea was slowly growing to be accepted by many, getting married was still the goal of most women. A women’s social security and social status was still thought of as dependent on marriage. With this being said, most women only worked until they were married (2).
With women suddenly more independent they also started dressing themselves in a completely different style. The old corsets, high waistline, and full skirts were turned into short, lose fitting, low waistline, and fringe/beaded dresses. Women had a flattened figure in these dresses. The boyish figure with the short haircuts were a new phenomenon in this time period. This new fashion helped women represent the new freedom and independence that they had gained after World War I. Women’s fashion in the 1920’s was a rejection of the stuffy Victorianism and the “Gibson Girl” look.
Women who had never liked even the smell of smoke started smoking cigarettes. Cigarettes were a sign of sophistication for women and the 1920's flapper was always pictured with one in her hand. The ‘flapper’ is a term that represents the women that dressed in the boyish figured clothing, danced around, smoked, and drank (3). Women also started wearing makeup, which before was only associated with prostitution. They did not try to imitate nature with their makeup. They made the makeup very unnatural looking and they also started acting differently. The biggest thing that women acted different about was sex. Flappers knew all about sex and had no issues with discussing it in front of others. Women followed men like Freud and decided that women’s desires were just as natural as men’s so they were often found dancing close, kissing, or even having premarital sex (4).
The biggest change for women in this time period was political. In 1920 women got the right to vote. However, many women did not take advantage of this right to vote right away. The belief that men were in separate spheres and that women should only concern themselves with home, children, and religion was still strong. With this being said many women still realized that politics affected their daily life. Women thought that it was their duty to take a serious part in politics during this time period. Even though it took them awhile to take advantage of their right to vote, by the end of the decade women were represented on local, state, and national levels (6).
After women got their rights to vote they started fighting for what they believed in. All of the different women’s groups focused on different platforms and approached them in different ways. Some worked with one political parties but others stayed neutral. There were also groups that only had one topic they were fighting for while others had many. Women were also now working in the government. They were still being segregated into jobs that everyone thought were women’s jobs like secretary of education or secretary of state. Women actually did better on the local level of government. Many of the efforts women fought for were things like pensions for impoverished dependent women, education and industrial reform, wage and hour laws for working women, women’s legal rights, and a wide range of child health programs. There were a lot of different things, like the above, that women fought for during this time but in no way were all women on the same page. There were hundreds of leaders and hundreds of different ideas and plans. As one activist put it in 1923, “The American women’s movement, and her interest in great moral and social questions, is splintered into a hundred fragments under as many warring leaders” (7).
Women’s lives changed in the 1920’s in various ways. The push for independence from the world war and the suffragists really helped women move forward in the world. Women started stepping up and going to college which led to jobs that they could actually get. Women also had a sexual awakening that led to them changing from Victorian fashion to flappers. When women got the right to vote things really took off politically speaking. Ever since the “new women” of the 1920’s women have been standing up and getting their own independence. No longer is there the idea that men can only do certain jobs because they are stronger.
1. "World War I: 1914-1918," strikingwomen.org, Accessed 23 January 2016, http://www.striking-women.org/module/women-and-work/world-war-i-1914-1918.
2. Louise Benner, "Women in the 1920's in North Carolina," ncpedia.org, Published 1 January 2004, Accessed 23 January 2016, http://ncpedia.org/history/20th-Century/1920s-women.
3. Ibid.
4. "Sophisticated Ladies: Women of the 1920's," arenastage.org, Published 2010, Accessed 23 January 2016, http://www.arenastage.org/shows-tickets/sub-text/2009-10-season/sophisticated-ladies/sophisticated-ladies.shtml.
5. Russel Patterson, "Where There's Smoke There's Fire," loc.gov, Published [192-?], Accessed 23 January 2016.http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.missouristate.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b21866d6-087c-4be6-9b92- c5cb8517c422%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=125.
6.. Louise Benner, "Women in the 1920's in North Carolina,"
7. Dumenil Lynn, "The New Women and the Politics of the 1920's," ebscohost.com, Published July 2007, Accessed 23 January 2016, http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.missouristate.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b21866d6-087c-4be6-9b92-c5cb8517c422%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=125.
Bibliography
Benner, Louise. "Women in the 1920's in North Caroline." ncpedia.org. Published 1 January 2004. Accessed 23 January 2016. http://ncpedia.org/history/20th- Century/1920s-women.
Dumenil, Lynn. "The New Women and the Politics of the 1920's." ebscohost.com. Published July 2007. Accessed 23 January 2016. http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.missouristate.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b21866d6-087c-4c5cb8517c422%40sessionmgr115&vid=1&hid=125.
Patterson, Russel. "Where There's Smoke There's Fire." loc.gov. Published [192-?]. Accessed 27 January 2016. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2009616115/
"Sophisticated Ladies: Women of the 1920's." arenastage.org. Published 2010. Accessed 23 January 2016. http://www.arenastage.org/shows- tickets/sub-text/2009-10-season/sophisticated-ladies/sophisticated- ladies.shtml.
"World War I: 1914-1918." strinkingwomen.org. Accessed 23 January 2016. http://www.striking-women.org/module/women-and-work/world- war-i-1914-1918.