Roles Of Women In The 1920s

The Roaring Twenties, characterized as a progressive era toward changes and advances, it was a start for freedom and independence for women. Women gained political power by gaining the right to vote. They changed their traditional way to be, way to act and dress to gain respect, and the liberty of independence. Society had different ways of ideals and the ways women were willing to do were disapproved of, and it was wrong for lots of different people, including women from the older generation. In the 1920’s women went through a lot of changes that made them a free spirit, changes that made them what they are now and having the liberty of being independent.

The 1920s carried much change in society. Some of these changes were more rights for women, jazz music, and prohibition. The people of the 1920s were disillusioned by society lacking in idealism and vision, sense of personal alienation, and Americans were obsessed with materialism and outmoded moral values (The Roaring Twenties).Cultural changes were strongly influenced by the destruction of World War I ending 1918. America needed to recover and with it youth rebelled against the norms of the older generations.

Many portray the 1920s as a time of lighthearted leisure and prosperity. When in fact this period consisted of significant economic , social and cultural conflicts. Technological innovations sparked the economy and life post war was significantly different with the introduction to what we know as the “New women” the new women also sparked many social conflicts. Along with the New women tension between religion and science also sparked many important conflicts during the time we know as the Jazz Age.

New media such as the film industry also gave men a “new definition” into the “male appearance” and its importance and variations in the public eye. Masculine appearance now rejected the clothed modesty of the Victorian Age, to the point that by 1930, men no longer wore swimming clothes that “covered the upper part of the body,” a celebration of the male physique and in many cases their sexuality that evolved through the 1920s. Instead of written rules and dictations of courtship, new social mores now declared that “the peer group” would now define “appropriate sexual behavior,” that courtship as a manner of relationships between men and women would now fade as the concept of dating would take its place. This “driving [of] courtship” into

The flapper represented the “modern woman” in American youth culture in the 1920’s, and was epitomized as an icon of rebellion and modernity. Precocious, young, stubborn, beautiful, sexual, and independent, the flapper image and ideology revolutionized girlhood. The term “flapper” originated in England to describe a girl who flapped and had not yet reached maturity. Middle-class, white, adolescent girls embraced the symbol of the flapper and the development of change and innovation. It is important to note not all young women embraced the flapper’s rebellious movement and adhered to traditional pre-World War I morals and values. Young women who joined the flapper movement would no longer abide by pre-conceived conventional expectations

Gender roles in the 1900s were expectations that society had to follow in order to have balance. However, women were the ones who carried the weight of the load in the family. In the article "I Want a Wife" by Judy Brady gave an overview of the expectations women had to undergo in society. A wife had to to keep everything in check from the care of the children to having everything prepared and ready, and filling the needs of everyone else.

Back in the 1920 's women started becoming extremely significant in the society. Before then, women rarely found jobs that accumulated a high enough income to raise a family. However this act of sexism changed in the early years of the 1920 's, women began to get involved in male dominated jobs. This time it worked, women were finally getting their say in political issues and they eventually got the chance to speak up. The government realized the types of distress and discomfort women went through to keep a healthy lifestyle for their young ones. The technological enhancements the government gave most urbanized households gave women of the 20 's intense ease. Some may argue that women were nothing

The 1920’s were a period of tension between the traditionalists and modernists. The tension between these two groups was aroused by the economical advancements, social developments, and cultural changes in the 1920s. These tensions were manifested by the economic outburst and the passing of certain laws. Socially, Congress passed the 19th Amendment which allowed women the right to vote. Economically, the introduction of the automobile, radio, and the airplane brought prosperity in America. Culturally, the 18th Amendment banned the sale and drinking of alcohol in America.

As America saw an end to World war 1 and entered the 1920s, the country was faced with rapid changes in American society. These changes challenged the old traditional American values and introduced tension between modernists and traditionalist. Tension grew in churches and schools after new scientific discoveries were being made which supported the idea of evolution, rather than the bible. American society saw dramatic changes in it’s old, familiar culture as the Harlem Renaissance emerged and women gained more rights, which began taking affect on the customary American lifestyle.

In the 1920’s, a new woman and following a new era was born. Women were no longer scared to express themselves or to act different. They smoked, drank, and voted. They cut their hair, they’d get all dolled up and do their makeup, and they went to parties. They took risks. They did things that other women would never think of doing before. These fashionable young women during the 1920’s were known as flappers. The term “flappers” originated from Great Britain. These women were on diets to get the right shape of their body for their outfits they would wear when they went out places. Flappers became the image that represented the tremendous change in women’s lives during that time period. When America became a part of the flapper trends it spreaded like crazy. Many were getting sick and tired of not being treated fairly like the rest of the people and they wanted thing to change that.

The 1920s represented the post-suffrage era when women made drastic social and cultural changes that affected the American women way of life. Women began to seek more rightsand equal representation through changes in social values. However, women still observed their primary responsibility for caring for the household; and also depended on men for monetary support (Martin, 1926). The essay brings into perspective, various transformations that took place in the 1920s, resulting in the diversion of the traditional norms.

The Roaring Twenties was a prime era for women. Because of the toils of many strong women, ideals were flipped on their head, to America’s benefit. In the late 1800’s, two women, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, quickly realized that women would not be able to share their political views unless given the right to vote. Because of the fact that women had basically no other societal roles besides housework, they were not respected during this time period. So the two women teamed up and spent the rest of their lives fighting for the women’s suffrage movement. Several campaigns, petitions and an arrest later, the 19th Amendment was finally ratified. However, this surprisingly did not have a great affect the lives of Americans

The 1920s to late 1930s were a very controversial. A lot changed and flipped back and forth. The 1920s were full of cultural change. We were very conservative and people wanted change. After the stock market crash the government want to help bring Americans out of the gutter with the bad economy. To do this they created things like the welfare system and Social Security to try and make a change. New people came to light to help end The Great Depression.

Although still not entirely popular or accepted, women also began to emerge more and more in postsecondary education. Women were only seldom allowed to go to college in the beginning of the 1920’s and when they did, they attended an all-women's school. By 1921 a woman was enrolled in a college that did not traditionally allow women (Benner). This was a monumental step for women’s educational rights. Women were allowed to graduate and become nurses or teachers, the only careers seen fit for women. This was a limitation for women, but this limitation only encouraged women to surpass their expectations and push the limits of what they could achieve as strong and successful members of society.“...by the end of the decade, women represented 47%

During the 1920s, advertisement started to increase and expand. Many ideas and tactics were used to lure the attention of the consumers. After World War I, America started to grow with a stable and growing economy. This flourishment made many American's live out the 1920s in prosperity. This caused America to flourish with new inventions, for example the automobile, household machinery, television, etc. Even old inventions and ideas were improving, like the radio, movies, and the use of advertising. The radio, movies, driving, and buying the various new products became a part of the daily lives. These inventions created a sense of ease for daily lives in America in the 1920s. It made life, jobs, and experiences easier.