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Women In The 1920's

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From the time this country began, women in America have always been forced into boxes. These boxes, of course, are not literal boxes, but rather they are the patriarchal norms that women are expected to abide by if they wish to be accepted by society. These standards were to be upheld by women regardless of any personal preferences or individuality; at this time women were not people, but accessories for the men they married. Though there are many steps still to be taken to further the modern feminist itinerary, one of the first real waves of change occurred throughout the 1920’s. For the American woman, the 1920’s were a decade mainly surrounding the transition out of the home, the beginning of sexual freedom and expression, and women’s suffrage. …show more content…
Up until this point, women were expected to function exclusively as wives, mothers, and housekeepers. In fact, the 1920 census states that over seventy-five percent of all adult women lived this way. These expectations limited the ways in which a women could measure her life successes. Men could be successful in a multitude of things, as there were no limits to what a man could do. A woman was successful if, and only if, she was a good wife, mother, and home keeper. Although these gendered roles were still firmly in place, they were significantly less constricting than they had been in the decades before. Even marriages were less permanent than they had ever been. “By 1900, the divorce rate had risen to 1 in 12 couples; by 1915, the rate was 1 in 9. 2/3 of divorces were sought by women.” (“Paths to Power”). This rise in divorce rates, especially when requested by women, showed that women were increasingly unwilling to accept inadequate marriages, and that they had the courage (and financial ability) to seek independence. They began exercising this independence in many ways, like sexual expression and freedom, forcing society to conform to them, rather than the other way around. (“Paths to …show more content…
Up until August 26, 1920, women didn’t have voting rights in the United States of America. It was on that day that the 19th amendment passed, giving white women the right to vote, and it was 45 years later that women of color were able to vote without legal barriers (“The Women’s Rights Movement). Due to the fact that women now made up half of the voting population, their needs could no longer be ignored. The first piece of legislation passed as a result of women’s votes was passed in 1921, called the Sheppard-Towner Maternity and Infancy Protection Act. This act was a preventative healthcare program designed to lower maternal and infant mortality rates. Although women were a major part of the voting population from then on, there were few legislative changes following the 19th amendment into the 1920’s. However, women occupied more public office positions than ever before in history. The female population was fighting fiercely for change, and piece by piece, they were getting it

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