...Women of the 1920’s: The true beginning of women’s liberation Amy K. Breitkreitz HIS204: American History Since 1865 Instructor Cora Dunaway December 22, 2014 The 1920’s presented America with some very turbulent times and issues. The true beginning of women’s liberation began during these eras; from women entering the workplace, to being awarded the privilege to vote and stepping out into the social scene causing eyebrows to be raised by their actions. The women of these eras did not realize it then, but they were laying the foundation for American women in the future to become independent, as well as political and workforce pillars in American society. The brave women of the 1920’s suffered great injustices, but persevered to become some of the greatest women in American history in all aspects of life such as politics, marriage, jobs and self-expression. Women who were referred to as flappers started the change in self-expression. Some were considered rebellious by their peers, mostly the older generation, due to their newfound scantily clad bodies and what were considered actions that challenged the morals put in place by society; the flappers transformed what was considered the proper woman into her own person. The less clothing, the shorter the hair, the heavier the makeup the better (Bliven, 1925). In my opinion, it was as time of women breaking free from the molds of what society thought they should be; a time of finding who they were, or letting loose...
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...Women Changing Role’s in the 1920’s During the 1920’s women had began to change their roles in society to show that they can be more than what they appeared. Before the 1920’s women were second class citizens that came second in society, they did not have the same privileges as men did. Many women also did not have jobs which contributed to society because women were busy at home taking care of children and the house. Also the expectations of men were to be the supporters of the family which made women housewives. Women of the 1920’s were represented as well mannered and proper or a better term “Lady like.” Soon after they began to change how society portrayed them. Women’s changing roles in the 1920’s influenced other women to gain more responsibilities and show men that they are just as equal as they are, such as how they dressed, women’s patriotism, and women’s employment. Women’s roles changed because of how they dressed. Women’s fashion began to dress in a more risqué look with shorter clothing. This new fashion statement began to pick up a reputation and a name called Flappers. Flappers were women who dressed in shorter dresses showing more skin above their ankles that ended near their mid thighs. Their dresses came in various colors and styles, but what all their dresses had in common was silky material and loosely embroidered beading around each dress. Make-up was also one of the biggest and most commonly seen in flapper’s styles. “Five factors had become important...
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...The Booming Roar of The Canadian 1920’s Many Countries go through the business cycle throughout their history, and prosperity is the part of the cycle that truly roars. In 1920’s, Canada, the great prosperity roared, and it was great for all. Everything in Canada roared by 1924 and life was extremely satisfying for the average Canadian, as quality of life was at an all- time high. The future for Women began to appear to be very bright as they made many big steps for the purpose of women’s rights. There was a great deal of women who began to get involved with government. Therefore, the Canadian government recognized the change beginning, and the growing number of women who were starting to make a stand for their rights, and consequently creating...
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...The role of women in society has been greatly overseen in the last few decades. In the early days women were seen as wives who were intended to cook, clean, and take care of the kids. While men took care of having jobs and paying any bills that had to be paid. Women have made vast improvements in their lifestyles in the past few decades from holding positions in governments, to simple things like getting a job and supporting themselves. In 1920’s, all women were given the right to vote. In the 1930's, the roles of men and women varied greatly. From the workplace to the home, the expectancies were different. The views of both genders were also very different. And things kept changing from one decade to another. The role of women and their importance...
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...men. Before the 1920’s the women found in saloon were often referred to as prostitutes (Clement, 176) Flappers tried to break these assumptions by setting aside some of their most distinctive traits and competing with men along his own lines (Hirshbein, 120) This was done by having a strong presence in not only bars, but redefining the social conventions of calling. Courtship which had the purpose of leading to marriage, was replaced with dating which meant a newfound casualness that wasn’t found in the social norms associated with calling. This more relaxed approach to relationship also lead to a more relaxed attitude towards sex. In this way Flapper gained some social freedoms with their sexual interactions with men, however because this new look on courtship “took dating out of the female and family realm of the front parlor… and into cabarets and movie theaters of the new entertainment economy.”(Clement, 157) Women in particular flappers were often engaged in the concept of “treating”. The definition of this is the exchange of sexual favors for material goods. Although, the flapper symbolized the idea of the New Women, they were only able to slightly blur the gender boundaries present in the 1920’s. Although they started to embrace a newfound sexual liberation, they were met with challenges. Many preachers and politicians in dozens of states proposed laws to would prohibit women from exposing to much flesh” (Kallen 130). Although they felt like the gender lines were blurring...
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...A social and force in the changing roles of women was consumerism which took off in the 1920’s and continued to have an impact on women until the 60’s/70’s, which to a small extent gave women an increased sense of independence, through working and self-expression. Industrialisation and the growth of cities laid the platform for mass consumerism in America, by the 1920s, the development of downtown department stores gave accessibility to a vast array of new goods and cities became the centre of cultural change. Mass entertainment was also popular with amusement parks, dance halls and movie theatres resulting in a new visibility of women in the public sphere. The department and chain stores created accessibility to an array of new goods. Women...
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... such as biological sex, gender identity and roles, sexual orientation, and the relationship between these factors. One would have never assumed that sexuality would be a topic of great conversation and questions. Over time we have became a society made up from a melting pot not only of different ethnic groups but of sexual orientation. Sexual Identity Development Factors There are several factors that influence a person’s sexual identity. The first factor that affects sexual orientation is biological sex. Biological sex is determined by a person’s chromosomal make up along with hormones. Females are typically born with XX chromosomes and males are born with XY chromosomes. Although in some situations there can be a mutation of the Y chromosome, the SRY gene which is the sex determining portion of the Y chromosome can be missing in XY girls’ Y and is present in the XX boys’ X (Offner, 2010). Chromosomes alone cannot determine gender identity hormones also help in determining gender identity. The SRY gene codes on the Y chromosome cause the indifferent gonads to become testicle which then secrete testosterone which then causes the Wolffian duct system to develop which is the male structures (Offner, 2010). So as you can see together with the SRY gene and specific level of testosterone within an embryo helps determine the external gender. The second factor influencing ones sexual identity is their gender identity and roles. “Gender identity is your sense of...
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...A woman's role in the 1920’s was to act subordinate towards dominant men. Smoking, drinking, and flirting were the characteristics of women of this time. Feeling powerless to change their lives, women of the 1920’s did not strive to find happiness. Jordan, Myrtle, and Daisy, although unhappy with their lives, do not strive to find happiness by making a change.In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, each of the main female characters is portrayed as a miserable figure who do not have the power to change their lives. Jordan, a cynical professional golfer, struggles to succeed in a world filled with male dominance. Jordan is in a male dominated profession due to the fact that most sports professionals in the 1920’s were dominated by men....
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...Gender Equality & the Women’s Movement SS310 – Exploring the 1960’s: An Interdisciplinary Approach Unit 6 Project March 12, 2013 A Brief Timeline of the Women’s Movement 1920 - 2009 Sources cited on the reference page. In the United States, women are allowed a certain level of luxury in having a large amount of control over the path their lives take. An American woman can be a business owner, a homeowner, a college graduate, a highly paid executive or a stay at home mother and wife. These are choices that we as individuals get to make with limited input from the men in our lives. We take guidance from our fathers, brothers and husbands but the ultimate decision lies with us. History has shown us that this was not always the case in our country. Early on women were not allowed to own property, be educated or make any major decisions. Power rested in the hands of the men and it took many years to wrench some away. In the late 1800’s American women were beginning to realize that there was more to life then mothering and keeping house. The Suffragette movement was born out of a palpable desire to be a voice for change in the world and to have a vote in the governance of the country. After many years of struggling, the 19th amendment was signed into law extending the right to vote so that it would not “be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex” (19th amendment). One step among many that leads...
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...real waves of change occurred throughout the 1920’s. For the American woman, the 1920’s were a decade mainly surrounding the transition out of the home, the beginning of sexual freedom and expression, and women’s suffrage....
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...In this unit you will learn about the tensions in American Society following WWI. The 1920’s are often remembered for the upbeat, boisterous characteristics that earned the decade of its nickname, the “ Roaring Twenties”. However, while impressions of the “ Roaring Twenties” prosperity are accurate, the decade also saw economic recession labor unrest and an increase in discrimination, anti-communist sentiment (feelings), anti- immigration legislation (laws), and racial violence rose during this tumultuous decade. As WWI ended, Americans were eager to “ return to normalcy,” meaning the return of traditional gender roles, the need for family stability and other traditional biblical norms those Americans who pushed for these ideas were called “ Traditionalists” and “ Fundamentalists”....
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...Closing the Gender Pay Gap Through Compensation Strategies Abstract The purpose of this research assignment is to identify the causes of the gender wage gap and how to combat them using compensation strategies. Currently women make less than men for doing equally comparable work in many industries. In order to design a fair and transparent structure we can follow a pay for performance pay structure. This incorporates values that are important to a companies HR strategy and business strategy that untimely reflect the business to the public and possible talent. In today’s market, organizations are facing a gender pay gap issue. Currently women in the labor market can make less than a man for a number of different reasons. Through research and investigation we determine how we got into the situation we are in today, concerning demographics and historical changes; and what actions we take from here to ensure equality within the workforce across each gender concerning pay structure. The demographics of today’s workforce are significantly different than those of the early 1920’s. Our massive industrial boom caused the need for employees to skyrocket. The products that came into the market made everyday life easier such as radios and the finely tuned automobile. However, at this time, women were often contributors to other industries where they could use their knowledge of household items and techniques. The United States Department Of Labor states, “Prior to World War...
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...Gender Role Analysis The roles of gender in today’s society vary according to history, one’s personal biases, environment, and society’s input in education, government, and the workplace. History has shown that gender roles have made great strides of accomplishments in roles that were once very similar in each area of life; particularly the role of females in that they were considered to be the property of men and played the role of the helpmeet, which was a biblical term that was taken to what is considered extreme in today’s U.S. culture. Through various social movements throughout history gender roles have changed greatly. Those changes that were affected by such social movements caused great opportunities and advancement for women and minorities in education, government, and the workplace. Social Movements From the beginning of this nation women did not have the same rights as men and were considered to be more of a second class citizen. In the early years of this nation, women along with minorities were considered the property of men. Women were not permitted to be educated in most cases, did not count as a citizen, could not vote, could not own anything, could not enter into contracts, obtain credit, work without her father or husband’s permission and could not even receive a paycheck in her own name. Social movements have made great impacts on gender roles in society throughout history. From social movements in the beginning of this nations’ history such as...
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...was developed, it was a revolution for black women. It gave them power, liberation, and a voice to overcome the emasculating efforts of white male power (Harrold, Hine, and Hine, 2009). When I first began this research, I discovered that Black Feminism is too broad of a topic to elaborate on as a whole. This paper defines the term “Black Feminism. It will explore two published articles that report on the theory and practice of how black feminism is making waves and what role of education in the development of the Black Feminist Thought from 1860 to 1920. This paper will examine when the National Black Feminist Organization was founded and lastly, how two outstanding women who made an impact in the Black Feminist Movement. According to Encyclo (n.d.) online encyclopedia the definition of black feminism is “A strand of feminist thought which highlights the multiple disadvantages of gender, class and race that shape the experiences of nonwhite women. Black feminists reject the idea of a single unified gender oppression that is experienced evenly by all women, and argue that early feminist analysis reflected the specific concerns of white, middle-class women.” In other words, black feminist argue that the liberation of black women entails freedom for all people since it would require the end of racism, sexism and class oppression. This brings me to the theory and practice of black feminism and how it is making waves. According to Taylor (2001), … (Black Scholar, para...
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...Constructing Gender And Sexuality Chapter Study Objectives What Is Sex? What Is Gender? • Compare and contrast the concepts of sex and gender. ==> Sex is a distinct category that someone belongs to male or female. Gender is not only the physical but also the behavioral personality traits that a group considers normal for its members. Essentialist and Constructionist Approaches to Gender Identity • Compare and contrast the essentialist and constructionist approaches to gender identity. ==> The essentialists believes that there can only be two categories, male or female, there is no exception. However constructionists believe that gender isn’t a dichotomy and that there can be more than two categories, and different ways for explaining them. Essentialists typically reside outside of sociology, usually in medicine, theology, and biology. Constructionists are typically mainstream sociologists. Gender Inequality • Explain the possible origins of gender inequality according to the text. ==> Back in the day when men had to go out and procure food, they needed to be bigger and stronger. They were needed for this vital role. Women were built to be nurturing so they could stay back with their offspring and keep them safe while the men hunted. The two rules were crucial for survival. • Compare and contrast functionalist theory and conflict theory in their approaches to explaining gender inequality. ==> Functionalists theory says that sex determines which roles men and women...
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