Women - Domesticity
to CEO
Sydney Halberstadt, Rebecca McCune and
Anastasia Janney
Role of Women in Colonial America
1600's & 1700's
Views about & attitudes toward women:
-Traditional views brought from Old World
-Women were weaker physically,
mentally and spiritually; less emotionally
stable.
-Expected to defer to their husbands
-Could not vote or hold public office.
-(Though usually could vote in place of
her husband on behalf of the family if he
was ill.)
Roles- Distinct separation of labor
-Women expected to do work
related to the home and care
of the family.
-This includes: Sewing, making
and caring for clothes,
cooking, caring for domestic
animals, tending to kitchen
gardens and making things
such as soaps and candles.
Especially in the North (Puritan New
England) women's most important role
was to raise "good Christian children" to
be responsible members of the
community.
-Women did often take over for a husband
in his business if he was ill or injured.
-However, once the man was well enough
to work the wife was expected to go back
to her domestic role.
-Some women did work as merchants,
printers and even doctors in communities
where there was a need for these
businesses, but a shortage of men to do
it.
Revolutionary War
Women played a vital role in this
war.
-Many were nurses and did things
like making uniforms for the
soldiers.
-"Molly Pitcher"
-Good spies for the colonies.
-Some tried to join the soldiers by
dressing as men, like Deborah
Samson.
-After the war was over they
returned to their previous roles.
Cult of Domesticity aka Cult of
True Womanhood
-Value system in middle & upper classes in
19th century.
-It held that women's proper role was wife
and mother within the sphere of the
home.
-Virtues for women to cultivate were:
piety, purity, submissiveness,
domesticity.
-It was promoted through literature of the
time and through legislation which
limited women's labor out of the home.
Republican Womanhood
-A term for an attitude toward women's
roles around the time of the American
Rev.
-A woman's duty was to teach republican
values to her children.
-Encourage sons to take gov. roles, teach
importance of sacrifice for greater good,
support education of daughters so they
could better pass on republican values to
their sons.
Lowell Mill Girls
-In 1820's, young women (age 17-25) were
recruited, mostly from New England
farms, to work in the textile mills in
Lowell, Mass.
-Over 8000 women were drawn to mills
with promises of decent wages (only paid
about half in reality!) edu. opportunities,
cultural experiences such as lectures
from Harvard, music lessons and
comfortable living conditions.
In reality...
-Worked 12-14 hours six days a week.
-Though the classes and other educational
things were offered, over time fewer
were available. Also, the girls found to be
too exhausted from work to go.
-Strict living rules, no boys allowed and
crowded living conditions.
-In the Depression the wages were cut
leading to a unsuccessful strike.
-In 1845, they started the Female Labor
Reform Association to fight for shorter
hours and better conditions.
-It took until 1853 to legislate the 11 hour
workday.
Many Mills closed during the Civil War
-Irish immigrants replaced many of the
native workforce. These factors ended
the Lowell Mill Girls chapter in history.
At this point in society, women's roles were
purely domestic and to take care of the
family. Although women were not equal
to men in Colonial America (1600's1700's), they had many more rights,
freedoms and opportunities than women
anywhere else in the world, including
Europe from which they, or their
ancestors, came.
Washington to WWI
From Washington's Era until 1840, women were treated unfairly. Their
husbands could beat them, they had no property rights, and they
had absolutely no voice in the government. Their job in society was
to raise children, take care of the home, and support their
husbands'.
The Women's Rights Movement began in 1848 at Seneca Falls. At this
meeting 100 women signed a Declaration of Sentiments. This
document set an agenda for the Women's Rights Movement. It also
called for equal treatment of women and men, and voting rights for
women.
Washington to WWI
In 1850, there was another Women's Rights
meeting in Worcester, Massachusetts with
over 1,000 people.
The National Woman's Suffrage Association
was formed in May of 1869. Their goal was
much easier said than done. They wanted
voting rights for women by the means of
adding an amendment to the Constitution.
The organization was headed by Susan B.
Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Washington to WWI
In November of that year, other women such as Lucy Stone and Henry
Blackwell formed the American Woman's Suffrage Association
which tried to add amendments to the Constitutions of individual
states about women's voting rights.
On December 10th of 1869, Wyoming passed the first women's
suffrage law, and women began serving on juries the next year.
Washington to WWI
In 1890 the National Woman's Suffrage Association and the American
Woman's Suffrage Association joined forces as the National
American Woman Suffrage Association to start taking on the idea of
women's suffrage as a state by state process. Here are some of the
first states that ratified women's suffrage:
1893- Colorado
1896- Utah and Idaho
1910- Washington
1911- California
1912- Oregon, Kansas and Arizona
1913- Alaska and Illinois
1914- Montana and Nevada
1917- New York
1918- Michigan, South Dakota and Oklahoma
Washington to WWI
The National Women's Trade Union League
was founded in 1903 to advocate for
equal pay, working conditions, and
opportunity for women in the workplace.
In conclusion, the push for women's rights
was growing. Women started to gain
respect from others as men and women
began to see how unfairly women were
treated. As much as we take the concept
of women's freedoms for granted, the
idea was originally absurd.The movement
began small but mighty and grew to be
one of the most successful movements in
America.
Women During WWI
World War I finally allowed women to get
out of the home and join the workforce.
They could take up nursing jobs on the
front or at home, or they could work in
munitions factories and other jobs
typically occupied by men.
They made sure the country was still able
to function during the war.
However, men often opposed to their aid
in the workforce because it might lead to
the unemployment of returning
servicemen. They also feared that women
would become too independent.
Women During WWI
Not only did women make progress in
the workforce during World War I, but
they also continued to fight for equal
voting rights.
The efforts these women made during
World War I pushed the federal
government to its limit, and the 19th
Amendment giving women the right to
vote was finally passed in 1920.
The older conservative
movement led by Emmeline
Pankhurst encouraged
women to stop their suffragist
activities, and start doing all
that they could to support the
country during war.
Alice Paul had a different idea.
She led the National Women's
Party on marches and other
peaceful protests throughout
the war. The suffragists
protesting with Paul were
arrested for no reason and
subjected to brutal treatment in
prison. They were all released
after an intense hunger strike.
Post-WWI to 1938
After the war, most women returned to the
home whether they wanted to or not.
As their husbands returned from the war,
they lost their jobs, so that the men
could be employed, and everything could
go back the way it was.
The Temperance Movement began
in the late 18th century, and was
mostly led by women.
In 1920, they finally succeeded in
the ban of alcohol through the 18th
Amendment.
The Prohibition played a large part
in influencing the rebellious
characters of the 1920s'.
Women in particular began to
assert their independence in the
cities.
They became Flappers, wearing
short flowy dresses, cutting their
hair short, and partaking in the
illegal consumption of alcohol in
speakeasies.
In 1931, Jane Addams became
the first woman to win the Nobel
Prize. She won the honor for her
work with the poor in Chicago,
most notably, the Hull House
and other settlement homes for
immigrants and the
impoverished.
In 1932, Hattie Wyatt Caraway
became the first woman to be
elected to the US Senate.
In 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt held
her own press conference, with
only woman reporters attending.
Frances Perkins was appointed
Secretary of Labor. She was the
first woman cabinet member.
Women during WWII
Women played many important
roles in World War II.
More women joined the
workforce during WWII than
ever before. Not only the lower
class, but middle and upper
class women had jobs!
They were also still able to work
as nurses on the front, or at
home.
Women during WWII
Advertisements such as
"Rosie the Riveter"
encouraged women to join
the workforce and support the
country during war.
Over 350,000 women served in the US Armed
Forces during WWII. They served both at
home, and abroad.
Women who joined the Women's Airforce
Service Pilots (WASP) became the first women
to fly American military aircraft. They often
transported cargo to and from bases.
Post-WWII to present
When the war ended many
women were uprooted from their
jobs, and sent back to the home.
It was the same story from WWI.
Most women returned happily to
their home. With their husbands
home, and cheap Levittown
houses to live in, women began to
have large amounts of children
again. This was known as the
baby boom. It lasted from 1946 to
1964.
During those years, large
families were common, and
as the television became
common in everyday
households, the new media
began to form stereotypes
for women as mothers and
caretakers.
It was a time of conformity
for women, and if you did
not conform, you were an
outcast.
Post-WWII to present
In 1963, Betty Friedan published her book,
The Feminine Mystique.
The novel spurted a new age of feminism.
She pointed out that women were giving up
their own education and a successful career
in order to send their husband's through
college. Women were unable to succeed.
In 1966 Friedan founded the National
Organization for Women.
They lobbied for the enforcement of Title VII
of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Pay
Act of 1963. They were also able to make
the Equal Opportunity Employment
Commission actually start doing their job.
In the subsequent years, women continued to gain rights and move up in
society.
In Roe v. Wade in 1973, abortion became legal.
In 1974, Little League Baseball was opened to girls.
In 1976, women were admitted to military academies.
In 1978, the military was integrated.
In 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman justice of the
Supreme Court.
In 1992, the amount of women in Congress doubled. It was known as the
Year of the Woman.
In 1993, Take Your Daughter to Work Day was
started to introduce young girls to high positions
held by their fathers in the hopes that it may
influence them to one day hold the same type of position.
The progress that women have made in the United States is astounding.
From their roots as homemakers, and subordinates to an all-knowing husband
to CEO, presidential candidate, and breadwinners of the home, women have
made more progress in the past two centuries than ever seemed possible.
Today, in 2013, more women than men are enrolled in colleges and
universities in the US. Housewives still exist, but there are also women who
travel the world and work as leaders in society.
Gender inequality still exists, but it is not nearly as much of an issue as it was in
the beginning of the women's movement. In the future, I am sure women will
continue to fight for any rights they are not given until there is no doubt their
minds that every door of opportunity is open.