womens roles 1900-1940s essays

women's roles 1900-1940s essays Womans place is in the Home but Home is not contained within the four walls of an individual home. Home is the community.1 These words, written by Rheta Childe Dorr in 1910, typified the attitude of women during the decades immediately following the turn of the century. The period between 1900 and 1940 was a time of much political, social, and economic change for women in the United States. As Dorr illustrated, many of the fundamental beliefs regarding women remained constant, while their actual roles in the American way of life changed immensely. During this period, women became much more active in politics, a fact best exemplified by their inputs and successes in the Progressive Era. This period was a time of many tumultuous changes for the nation in general such as World War I and the Great Depression. Also, the United States was in the middle of a massive shift from an agricultural nation to an industrial nation during the first few decades of the twentieth century. Each of these factors significantly influenced womens roles in both the family and the work force. Despite the many advances t hat women made for themselves during these years, they were still not treated equal to men, and to make matters worse, within their own sex, there was an incredible amount of discrimination based on class, ethnicity and race. Although they did face many hardships, these women made a difference. In a mere forty years, they managed to make more changes and advancements than anyone had ever dreamed possible in the preceding centuries and in doing so, they paved the way for the success of future generations of women. The years following the turn of the century were a time of much political empowerment for women. First and foremost, in 1920 women were finally given the right to vote; a right they truly deserved and for which they had fought long and hard. This political change did not immediately have quit...