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Role of women in changing society
Role of women in changing society
American women in the progressive era
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The Progressive Era was full of activism and reform for both social and political reasons throughout the United States of America. The role women played in activism during this era was extremely important to the achievements made and for the establishment of the welfare state in the country that many benefitted from. Therefore, the Progressive Era would not have affected the United States the way it did without the role that women played during that time. The middle-class women of the late 19th century and the early 20th century achieved remarkable things. Many changed the way women were viewed. For instance, more women than ever before were attending colleges and the teaching profession was transformed into a female-dominated occupation. With higher education under their belts and also experience from the social-settlement movement, women were able to establish organizations and organize social movements that led to change in America. One of the most important reasons why middle-class women succeeded so much in reforms …show more content…
At this time, women did not have the immediate power to change laws, but they did the power to gain support much faster than the men that did have immediate power. That is why with the “effective coalition [that women had] with men”, women had “access to the institutional power and positions of public authority that men held,” and in return gave men “the grass-roots support that women could mobilize” (Skylar). Without the support that women had, men that had power could not use their abilities to their fullest potential. With the mutual benefit they had, men and women were able to pass different legislations, such as state mothers’ pensions laws and welfare. Therefore, the role of women during this era was essential in aiding powerful men that could bring about reform in the United
...icter safety laws, for instance, employees must wash their hands before working. The Women Christian Temperance Union, they fought against liquor, and at this time, they still fight about liquor and driving and they are called MADD: Mother?s Against Drunk Driving. Women are also allowed to run for Senators/Representatives in government and for presidencies. They have the right to vote for anything and have a voice. Education has also influence us because now we have a law called ?No Child Left Behind?, and we have standardized testing: CAPT (CT), SATS, ACTS, etc, which shows how much a student demonstrates their skills in a specific subject. Working laws has change minimum wage because people deserve more money for the hours they work, and some business provide health/dental/life insurance. In brief, the Progressive Era?s actions are still affecting Americans today.
The Progressive mind was run by the needs for reform. Reform was run mainly by women, who started feminism; a term meaning freedom for full person development. Women wanted to have the same rights as men. Women wanted the right to vote, and have some decision making within our government, because they felt like they were worth nothing. Moreover, women wanted to make more for their hard labor. Feminists fought for their right to vote, but they were not granted it until later years. Other reforms during this era consisted of a municipal reform which raised taxes in cities in order to get public services, and to help clean up the cities. There were also racial reforms, where blacks pushed to be treated the same as whites, and there was also a political reform started by La Follette to deny bosses the power to choose a political party's candidates. Today women have the right to vote and are treated much more equally to men in the workplace, there are laws in place reducing racism as much as possible, and because of La Follette candidates had to be voted in by a popular vote and this still holds true today.
... democracies to end the idea of corrupt monopolies. The effective movement of Jane Addams transformed the expansion of the middle class along with their issues as poverty, education and race inequality. The document describes the fundamental ideals that every person of the working class wanted to express. However, Addams similar perception with President Roosevelt elevated the social status of all those voices of progressives to be equal. The constant perception of Jane Addams was to help people to acquire intellectual capacities in order to advance and be economical independent started the idea of social aid programs improved over the years for the working and student community. Moreover, the rise of the feminist movement during the progressive era generated a direct change improving American families for settlement and recreational ideas for the community.
The Progressive Era was the period of reform and social activism from 1895 to 1920, it was an attempt to get rid of all the ills that had penetrated American society during the Gilded age. The Progressives were people who tried to make the life of the average American better, they believed in the ability of humans to create a better world. Industrial capitalism, burgeoning cities, the influx of immigrants, and the depression of the 1890s were some of the sources of the reform impulse of the era. The Progressives were primarily middle class citizens such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, businessmen, etc. Many of them were part of the Republican and Democratic parties. They were greatly influenced by the Europeans.The Progressives believed
Society has long since considered women the lessor gender and one of the most highly debated topics in society through the years has been that of women’s equality. The debates began over the meaning between a man and woman’s morality and a woman’s rights and obligations in society. After the 19th Amendment was sanctioned around 1920, the ball started rolling on women’s suffrage. Modern times have brought about the union of these causes, but due to the differences between the genetic makeup and socio demographics, the battle over women’s equality issue still continues to exist. While men have always held the covenant role of the dominant sex, it was only since the end of the 19th century that the movement for women’s equality and the entitlement of women have become more prevalent. “The general consensus at the time was that men were more capable of dealing with the competitive work world they now found themselves thrust into. Women, it was assumed, were unable to handle the pressures outside of the home. They couldn’t vote, were discourages from working, and were excluded from politics. Their duty to society was raising moral children, passing on the values that were unjustly thrust upon them as society began to modernize” (America’s Job Exchange, 2013). Although there have been many improvements in the changes of women’s equality towards the lives of women’s freedom and rights in society, some liberals believe that women have a journey to go before they receive total equality. After WWII, women continued to progress in there crusade towards receiving equality in many areas such as pay and education, discrimination in employment, reproductive rights and later was followed by not only white women but women from other nationalities ...
The Progressive Era, dated from about 1900 to 1920, is known for the reformers who brought about change at a national level. For the middle class, reformers were extremely efficient and effective in making progress. For other demographics, like women and African Americans, change did not come so easily. Although the Progressive Era was successful in reforming certain parts of the federal government and American society, like big business and workers’ conditions, there was still a lot of progress to be made with women and other minorities by the time the era came to a close. To a lesser extent, the economy was transformed due to an unprecedented amount of government intervention in the proceedings of large corporations. The Progressive Era was
In the 1890s, American women emerged as a major force for social reform. Millions joined civic organizations and extended their roles from domestic duties to concerns about their communities and environments. These years, between 1890 and 1920, were a time of many social changes that later became known as the Progressive Era. In this time era, millions of Americans organized associations to come up with solutions to the many problems that society was facing, and many of these problems were staring American women right in the face.
In her study of Alice Hamilton, a pioneering scientist and public health official of the Progressive era, Barbara Sicherman argues that “as a group men never seemed so insistently or deeply concerned with the problems that animated her [Alice Hamilton’s] female associates. It was difficult to express this sense of difference other than in terms of gender. To do so made the reformers less sensitive to the way in which gender continued to constrain women, but their gender consciousness encouraged the personal and political bonding necessary to their endeavor” (141). Further, Ellen Carol DuBois points to the generational divide among the Progressive reformers: “the first generation of progressives constructed women’s class relations on the model of the family, in which poor women were as dependent as children on the loving protection of the reformer-mothers, the second generation of women progressives tended toward a professional model, with its mutually defining positions of expert and client” (164). These two defenses of gender as a tool for understanding Progressive era reform add another layer of analysis, but leave a more complicated picture of Progressive reform: one that was shaped by gender, race, class, and generations, opening the door for a multitude of other possible explanations for Progressive
The Progressive Movement brought about many changes to improve the lives of American people in many ways especially during the years between 1900 and 1920. There were reforms and changes to housing and sanitation. Garbage pick-up and improvements to the sewer systems were made and then inspectors were hired to make sure the new reforms were kept. Many of the inspectors who were hired were women. Women began to make more of an impact in the workforce. Women were also allowed to start voting.
Many women of the Progressive Era were industrial workers and often endured deplorable working conditions. Briefly, in the progressive Era women entered the workforce, despite the opposition from men. However, there was a discrimination and gender tension. However, women played an essential role in the expanding industrial economy. As in the popular culture, though, the workplace (and later the Women's Union League) was plagued with gender assumptions. First, women were directed toward the 'female' work, e.g. the needle trades. Because of women's specific problems, women began to move into the union movement, as evidenced by the rise of the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) (mostly female social workers) (1903) (uprising of 20,000 women). For
Wars are often followed by change; World War I was no exception. World War I is sometimes credited with starting the feminine revolution. The young women of the 1920’s were considered new and rebellious. In appearance and attitude, the women of the day broke the mold society had created in the previous decades. When the war started, the Progressive Era women had to take over the jobs of men to fill the void the men left behind, and as a result, they learned to be independent.
The woman in the progressive era had very strict laws that they did not like. While married, women were not allowed to work, and only single, young, divorced, colored, or poor white women were allowed
Women have struggled for many decades to receive the same rights as men. The feminist movement in the 1970’s was accelerated by women who were tired of being second rate citizens. Women took many strides during the 1970’s including the push for the approval of the equal rights amendment, protests, and workplace strikes just to name a few. Despite the failure of the equal rights amendment’s passing, women were not deterred and continued their struggle to receive the same rights as men. The persistent fight for equality has brought equality for women which is evident today. This essay will examine how women continued to fight for equality after the equal rights amendment failed and because of their persistence, the equal rights amendment
Before the 1920s men and women were thought to have two separate roles in life. People believed women should be concerned with their children, home, and religion, while men took care of business and politics. In 1920 there were significant changes for women in politics, the home, and the workplace. When the 19th amendment passed it gave women the right to vote. “Though slowly to use their newly won voting rights, by the end of the decade women were represented local, state, and national political committees and were influencing the political agenda of the federal government.” Now a days it’s normal for women to be involved in politics and it’s normal for women to vote. Another drastic change
The history of the 20th Century showed abrupt shifts to more radical and conservative lifestyles, with the Great Depression in the 1930s to the Swinging Sixties because of the libertine attitudes that emerged. Women slowly won back their rights as citizens, as in 1948 Cambridge University finally bowed to the public pressures and admitted women to its degrees and then 1950-1960 saw women teachers, bank managers and TV newsreaders. The struggle in those 30 years had a great impact on women across the world, and I believe may have changed the perception of women.