Women in the 20 th Century

1. Women in the 20th Century A movement in three waves and many parts

2. The way it was… • At the turn of the century, women were seen as capable only of domestic work. • At this time, women were considered private property to be purchased in marriage. • They did not have the right to vote or to own property. • Few women worked outside of the home.

3. Education • Only upper class women were able to access higher levels of education. • Once educated, women were barred from entering the work force as professionals. • All aspects of economy, society, politics, etc. were controlled by men.

4. An issue of class… • One’s social class often determined the role played in society. • Upper Class women did not work. • Working class women worked mainly as maids, in domestic service and in factories.

5. There were fewer middle class women working than working class but those that did, worked as teachers, nurses, telephonists, typists and as sales assistants. • When women from the middle class married, most of them had to quit their jobs.

6. World War 1, a changing time… During WWI, women played an integral role in work and home life as well as contributing to the war effort. As men left to participate in war overseas, women were required to fill voids in the workplace while continuing to maintain life at home as a mother and wife. Women working in a munitions factory during World War I.

7. New jobs and roles were open to women during war time which resulted in greater awareness, education and increasing expectations by women.

8. Post war… Although roles for women began to open up after World War I, societal expectations for women changed little. Child rearing and domestic work were still considered the domain of the woman.

9. Advertisements targeted at women focused on their appearance and their frailty.

10. Feminism’s First Wave • Many women began to see these societal expectations as limiting and unfair. • Many did not see them as reflective of the numerous new roles women had taken on during the war. Suffragettes pictured here protesting women’s right to vote.

11. No longer willing to sit by and be prevented from making important decisions, the first wave of the feminist movement was born.

12. The Suffragettes Voting was seen as symbolic of all the rights women were denied. Suffragettes worked tirelessly to be granted the right to vote. By 1918, some women were granted the right to vote and to have a say in the political future of Canada. Nellie McClung: suffragette, politician, social activist Heritage Minute

13. Whose rights? For many other women, their race, ethnicity and religion still barred them from the vote and, for them, the fight continued for almost 50 years. Aboriginal men and women in Canada did not gain the right to vote until 1960.

14. Opposition Women fighting to improve their rights were regularly met with disapproval, scorn and opposition.

15. An uphill battle It took immense courage for women to continue fighting against traditional values and ideals in the face of constant degradation. As well, not all women were supporters of the fight to gain equal rights.

16. In this political cartoon, the traditional roles of women are portrayed as hindrances to their ability to focus solely on the political realm.

17. The threat… • Men feared: • The loss of control over women. • That women would vote as a block. • That women were incapable of understanding all the ramifications of situations they would voting on. • That it would erode how both men and women traditionally viewed themselves.

18. The fight to be recognized as “person’s” The Famous Five: Nellie McClung Henrietta Muir Edwards, Emily Murphy, Louise McKinney and Irene Parlby. These women launched the "Persons Case," contending that women should be "qualified persons" eligible to sit in the Senate in 1927. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that current law did not recognize them as “persons.” The case was finally won upon appeal to the Judicial Committee of the British Privy Council—the court of last resort for Canada at that time-in 1929. This was a significant win for women in Canada and another step towards being recognized as equal to their male counterparts. • Emily Murphy, Suffragette, politician, writer • Heritage Minute

19. Reproductive Rights • In 1916, Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, which led to her arrest for distributing information on contraception. • Although a controversial figure for her ideas surrounding eugenics, Sanger is credited with paving the way for women to have greater access to reproductive options.

20. The 1920’s: a summary • Overall, the 1920’s saw improvements for the cause of women on their journey to equality. • Women began to pursue greater personal freedoms as well including: • Smoking • Public drinking • Attaining sexual freedom • Wearing their hair cut short • Wearing shorter lengthened skirts • Wearing pants

21. The depression years • The 1920’s era of prosperity ended abruptly with the stock market crash of 1929. • Historically, during times of social anxiety/strife and rapid change, a resurgence in the enforcement and belief in traditional gender roles is typical. • The 1930’s reinforced this idea perfectly.

22. Man’s role, traditionally defined through his labour, was in crisis. • Men were unable to find work, with unemployment rates soaring to 33%!

23. A step back… • The idea that women should be equally entitled to work was completely eroded during the 1930.’s • Laws were written to privilege men over women in regards to employment. • In the United States, president FDR’s New Deal established a place for women politically and in the workplace but even his policies could not override society’s regression into traditional gender roles.

24. Traditional gender roles return A resurgence of traditional gender roles was reflected in the fashion at the time. Although fashion changed little for men during this era, a noticeable change can be seen in the typical attire for women.

25. World War 2 and the 1940’s The need for women to return to the workforce emerges once again. Women were made to feel that it was their civic duty to contribute to the war effort by returning to positions of employment.

26. The 1940’s Traditional gender roles were exaggerated further in the 40’s with women wearing their hair long again, often in ringlets. Dresses became more feminine, frilly, loose and blousy.

27. Women were expected to do “double-duty.” Performing work outside the home while also maintaining all the duties of domestic life.

28. Post WWII • When servicemen returned from duty, many women were fired from their jobs to make way for their male counterparts. • This did not sit well with many women. • The feminist movement that seemed to have made such ground in the 1920’s, was like a distant memory with women returning to the domestic realm in the 1950’s.

29. The Era of Consumerism • Men worked to design and market goods to women that would increase efficiency in the domestic realm.

30. The 1950’s • This was the era of the baby boom. • Women worked to create a “haven” for their husbands. • Large families became the norm. • Men worked harder and longer hours to support their growing families. • Women increasingly grew more tied to the home.