Women In The 20th Century

Submitted By flower9797
Words: 1724
Pages: 7
Open Document
Every day when you see a woman at her job doing her work or walking the streets in casual clothing, was there ever a moment when you thought she didn’t belong, or deserve to be who she is? It’s become a rarity to find prejudice beings in everyday society, however there was once a time when married women were considered the property of the man whom of which she loved. Even in our free country, it wasn’t until the 19th century, that the rights of women were even considered. The women of today’s era, are free to be who they are today, because of the 20th century “New Women”. The working women, the suffragettes, and the Flappers who stood for themselves and fought for the equality they deserved. The day the US joined World War I, was the day that all of our country’s men were being enlisted in the army, and our workforce was running low on man power. Around July 1914, just before the war broke out, there were about 3.2 million women in employment. By January 1918 the employment of women had amounted to 5 million (“Women in WWI”). As a result of the sudden draft into war, the role of men was pushed onto all women. Without much of a choice, women were pulled from their house duties, or other lesser jobs for women, and lured into the average mens workforce. Observations show that their ability to hold the position of a man, led to a change in the attitudes towards every woman (“Women in WWI”). For many, learning that women were capable of taking over a man’s role in society, their view on women changed for the better. Hundreds of thousands of women replaced men in the munitions industry, an extremely dangerous job that women managed to successfully keep stable (“Women in WWI”). Most women enjoyed stepping out of the house and feeling that they were needed for their country. “…For many women the war was ‘a genuinely liberating experience’ that made them feel useful as citizens but that also gave them the freedom and the wages only men had enjoyed so far” (“Women in the Workforce”). Yet, women joining the workforce was not all they were capable of. During the war, April 6th 1916, marked the very first time that women other than nurses were granted the ability to enlist in the Marine Corps or the Navy (World War I…”). Because of the actions taken by these strong women who enlisted in the army, many more opportunities became available in the future of women. “Women’s successful participation in WW1 was an important precedent for expanding roles of American Women in the Military and for developing the military establishment’s acceptance of women’s service in the U.S Armed Forces” (“World War I…”). Not to mention, not only did the women enter the workforce and Navy, they also took their place in sports entertainment. They filled the shoes of men and began to play baseball. A whole new entertainment with gambling and excitement to take the gloom and stress out of everyday lives. By the time the war ended, many women had to return home and welcome their husbands back from the war and return to their everyday lives before the war ever occurred. Since the first World War, the opinion of our society’s women began to change, and with it our Government began to change as well. Noting a woman’s strength and intelligence was key to opening up the eyes of others in society. It all began when the effort of women at work, in respect to the World War, displayed women as worthy of citizenship and as patriotic as any man, as a result (“The Fight For…”). For many years women have been trying to earn their right to vote. All those women who believed they deserved that right, those who protested, and continued to fight, were considered suffragettes. Many more activists began to believe that women deserved to vote for the very reason that women are different from men, and because of that, they believed a woman’s vote could give a different perspective (“The Fight For…”). The belief that woman are different form men contradicts the older belief that
Show More

Related Documents: Women In The 20th Century

Wollstonecraft's A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman

Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is a statement of the rights of women to equality of education and to civil opportunities. In Wollstonecraft argues that true freedom demands equality of the sexes; claims that intellect, or reason, is larger to emotion, or passion. That seeks to influence women to gain the strength of mind and body; and aims to convince women that what had traditionally been observed as soft, “womanly” qualities are synonymous with weakness. Wollstonecraft supporters’…

Words 542 - Pages 3

Essay about Woman Rights

CAMPAIGN FOR WOMAN’S RIGHTS In the 19th century, American and British women’s rights - or lack of them depended heavily on the commentaries of William Blackstone (Commentaries on the Laws of England, Vol. 1 (2765)) which defined a married woman and man as one person under the law.( http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/lives19th/a/blackstone_law.htm) Women were treated as their husband’s property without any legal rights. This general practice is still true in different parts of the…

Words 2070 - Pages 9

Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman Analysis

Is it not amazing how men and women can be considered so different, yet be so similar? Human nature is what separates us from the animals and other creations because of our ability to reason. Human nature is that which makes us distinctly human-our biology, feelings, and behaviors. However, women during the Early Modern and Enlightenment periods struggled with the concept of human nature. Throughout these times, women were considered to be less than men, which brought some very brilliant women to…

Words 977 - Pages 4

Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman

Mary Wollstonecraft is revered as a revolutionary thinker who sought to become the first of a new kind of woman. Her most famous work on the themes of women’s education and equality is A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. In this book, Mary Wollstonecraft shares her view of the roles of men and women as well as how they are shaped by nature, society and available educational opportunities. In order to be taken seriously in a time when women did not have a voice, Mary Wollstonecraft used masculine…

Words 1969 - Pages 8

Essay Comparing Frankenstein And The Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman

influential as Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley. In Frankenstein by Shelley and The Vindication of the Rights of Woman by her mother, Wollstonecraft, the two introduce revolutionary philosophies concerning the importance of education and appearance through the use of Romantic imagery, which helped to shape societal mores for centuries to come. Both in Frankenstein and The Vindication of the Rights of Woman, there is a prevailing theme of education. Both authors feel that a person's flaws can be attributed…

Words 1203 - Pages 5

Essay on A Vindication of the Rights of Woman - Brief Notes

What does she do? She responds to educational/political theorists in their assumption that women had no rights to education. Theorists of the 18th c. believed that women should not have an education. She believed that women should have an education in order to instil their position in society. This is all stemming from romantic ideology. Renee Decarte (sp?) “I think therefore I am”. I think, therefore I become human. This challenges the age of reason and the social order, which was very much hierarchical…

Words 336 - Pages 2

Alice Paul's Suffrage Movement

The movement that helped women get voting rights and other rights was known as the 19th amendment and women's suffrage. Woman all over America wanted to be able to vote and get rights so they decided to go and start a movement to get some rights. Woman near the 1800s were not allowed to vote or go to college so they were stuck at home being a housewife and looking pretty. WOman knew deep in their hearts that they wanted to be able to get professional jobs and vote so they started to rally and to…

Words 1275 - Pages 6

The Woman Suffrage Movement

The woman suffrage movement began in 1848. Woman Suffrage was a huge thing in America, during the 19 centuries. Woman were tired and wanted equal rights to vote in elections. Woman wanted all rights and responsibility of citizenship as men. The first woman rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Woman felt like to achieve reform, they needed to win the right to vote. In the series No7 woman suffrage propaganda there were a few details that stand out. First, there is a woman dressed…

Words 1324 - Pages 6

Women's Rights In The 1800s

history, being that of teachers, mothers, and even rulers. Woman have grown and changed threw many years. Woman in the late 1800’s were strong and independent earning their rights and equality, they were given rights to own property, woman were earning own wages, and they had some rights to their children in a divorce. In the early 1800’s woman were not given rights to any property of their own only men were allowed to own property. Woman could never have their own property, even if they were not…

Words 802 - Pages 4

Iron Jawed Angles Essay

granted woman the right to vote. The movie Iron Jawed Angles directed by Katja von Garnier, premiered in 2004 and is critically acclaimed. The film takes place in the 1910’s and targets the American women’s suffrage movement, with one of the main leaders being Alice Paul. Throughout the movie Alice and her contingents undertake the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) to plan to advance into Washington for woman’s right to vote nationally. Woman continue to fight for their rights today…

Words 648 - Pages 3