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Women During The Progressive Era Essay

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Throughout the different decades in America the role of women has changed tremendously. While the role of men has always just been working hard and providing for the family, women have seen many different changes. Women have come a long way in their roles during the progressive era and through the times of war to become equal with men.
During the progressive era the role of woman was very different from what it is today. “For the most part, middle-class white married women still did not work outside the home” (nwhm.org). In those times what was expected of a wife was just to make sure the home was under control and for the man to take care of the actual working and having a job. “Women workers were primarily young and single, or widows, divorcees, poor married women, and/or women of color” (nwhm.org). It seemed as if the only way a woman had an actual job or did any real work was if there was not a man in her life. In the progressive era if a woman had a husband it was viewed …show more content…
That was all about to change as war times approached. Women were needed more than ever. “For many women, World War II brought not only sacrifices, but also new jobs, new skills, and new opportunities” (nwhm.org). While men began to leave their families and their country in order to fight and defend it, woman had to step up and make sure everything at home and in America was running smoothly. Some women even decided to join the military and be apart of the fight along with the men. Women also began to work in factories and they “kept the country running by filling traditionally male jobs” (nwhm.org).
While things were taking a turn for the better for women “the public and the press coined a phrase for these women, the ‘New Woman’. The ‘New Woman’ was supposedly young, college educated, active in sports, interested in pursuing a career, and looking for a marriage based on equality”

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