Women / Trade Unions - 1920s

Who were the flappers?

Mostly middle- and upper-class young women based in cities like New York & Los Angeles

Flappers: What they did (2)

Challenged traditional gender norms and known for their short bobbed hair, makeup and bold fashion choices

Often smoked, drank alcohol, and went out dancing at jazz clubs representing a spirit of independence, rebellion, and modernity

Flappers: Backlash

Criticised by older generations for being unladylike and immoral

Flappers: Misconceptions (3)

Flappers were a minority

They were hugely popular in movies, magazines, and advertising

This made them seem more widespread than they really were

Women: Dentists

Only 150 women were dentists by 1930

Women: Accountants

Only 100 women were accountants by 1930

Women: Domestic roles (2)

700,000 women worked as domestic workers

Cooking, cleaning

Women: Societal expectations (2)

Women were expected to stay at home to look after the house

They were expected to have children

Women: College

The number of women pursuing a college degree decreased by 5% during the 1920s

Women: Politics (2)

Of the 435 delegates in the House of Representatives, only 2 were women

No women were in Senate

Who was Rebecca Latimer Felton? (2)

The first female senate - this was honary and was only for a day

She dedicated her life to politics and womens rights

Trade Unions (2)

An organisation of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment

Better working conditions, wages

Trade Unions in the 1920s

Despite poor working conditions unions struggled to recruit

What were yellow dog contracts?

Contracts which banned workers from joining unions

When did the government ban strikes?

1922/1923

What was union membership like in 1929?

By 1929 union membership had dropped to 3.5 million (from 5 million in 1920)

When did women get the right to vote? (2)

1920

Instated by the 19th Amendment of 1920

Where did women find work? (3)

FIlm industry and fashion - small numbers

Clerks and typists - more frequent but rarely moved up to managerial positions

For women who moved up in business, it was often at the sacrifice of marriage and family

What were womens concerns in the 1920s (3)

Issues such as birth control and healthcare

This was championed by the American Birth Control League

It was often ignored by the government and conservatives

What was the Sheppard-Towner Act? (3)

1921

Gave states federal aid to develop healthcare for pregnant women

Many feminists believed this reinforced the role of women as child bearers - detracted from the need for birth control

Women: Traditional Views (3)

Many women remained in their traditional views

In the Muncie survey of 1929, 89% of girls said that they would want a job, but give it up when married

Educational institutions focused on domestic skills