The second half of Kirstin Downey's book, The Woman Behind the New Deal was a riveting look at the sexism and trials that Frances Perkins faced during her time as Secretary of Labor and thereafter. Somehow Perkins managed to rather selflessly fight for the rights of others using her resilience and resourcefulness. Whether it be in her private or public life, Perkins seemed to consistently push to honor her grandmother's teaching “Take the high ground. Avoid doing things that will make you appear silly or cheap” (5123) with this motto she kept her composure under the biggest attacks.
In retrospect, it is slightly ironic that Perkin’s was not embraced more as the Secretary of Labor after her years in office. She actually ended up playing the role of full time mother not only to her family but the politicians around her. She was forced constantly juggle being a professional woman, mother, and wife. Plus, her sex was treated like a handicap and she only received partial credit for her effort. Like many housewives, she must have felt taken for granted. Plus, she had to deal with the extra strain of not fitting the mold of domestic sphere for women. Nonetheless, she accepted the challenge and duties. Here composure allowed her ignore her critiques and bend immigration rules during the World War 2 that saved hundred of thousands of lives. Furthermore her disposition pushed her to create a minimum wage that helped millions of people rise out of destitution.
Moreover, the men and women who opposed Perkins, often acted like rebellious children throwing tantrums for not getting what they wanted. Perkins was an easy target, “As a woman, Frances understood, too, that she attracted different kinds of comments, often more malicious on...
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...butions to the United States and to finally coexist peacefully among men. During her final years she was in an environment where students appreciated her voice, quirkiness, and her ideas. Additionally, I could not help to smile a bit inside when I read the part about the Secretary of Labor who took over after France resigned did not do too well. Not only did he highlight, Frances Perkin’s adequacy as Secretary of Labor, but is seemed like a bit of justice after Frances offered to help in the transition and he snubbed her. Frances probably could have got more public recognition if she was a man, but she may have also faced more competition. Part of the reason that she was so successful may have been her ability to slyly influence those around her, including President Roosevelt during his time as Governor of New York and three terms as president of the United States.
She was now getting into the field of labor agitation and would change America forever. In 1903, she organized a march in which children, mutilated from their jobs, marched the streets to the home of Theodore Roosevelt in order to draw attention to the grueling and wicked child labor laws. “Federal laws against child labor would not come for decades, but for two months that summer, Mother Jones, with her street theater and speeches, made the issue front-page news.” This shows how after several attempts from previous progressive reformers, Jones was the only one whose protests were powerful and effective enough to open people’s eyes to the issues. A reason that Jones had become so effective was that of her exploration and observations. She frequently visited factories to observe the cruel working conditions in which people worked in and interviewed workers to get a feel for them and understand the brutality of the work. She stated herself that because of rough conditions, “The brain is so crushed as to be incapable of thinking, and one who mingles with these people soon discovers that their minds like their bodies are wrecked. Loss of sleep and loss of rest gives rise to abnormal appetites, indigestion, shrinkage of statue, bent backs and aching hearts.” By examining workplaces, she was able to gather empathy and sympathy for the workers who were suffering.
The role of women in American history has evolved a great deal over the past few centuries. In less than a hundred years, the role of women has moved from housewife to highly paid corporate executive to political leader. As events in history have shaped the present world, one can find hidden in such moments, pivotal points that catapult destiny into an unforeseen direction. This paper will examine one such pivotal moment, fashioned from the fictitious character known as ‘Rosie the Riveter’ who represented the powerful working class women during World War II and how her personification has helped shape the future lives of women.
The contrast between how She sees herself and how the rest of the world sees Her can create extreme emotional strain; add on the fact that She hails from the early 1900s and it becomes evident that, though her mental construct is not necessarily prepared to understand the full breach against Her, She is still capable of some iota of realization. The discrimination encountered by a female during this time period is great and unceasing.
In the novel we see many examples of transition of America interfering on the Baker family. One of them is his when his mother debates on Women’s suffrage in 1913. During the change of America, his mother saw the difference of men and women. Russell Baker describes his mo...
In “Disorderly Women: Gender and Labor Militancy in the Appalachian South,” Jacquelyn Hall explains that future generations would need to grapple with the expenses of commercialization and to expound a dream that grasped financial equity and group unanimity and also women’s freedom. I determined the reasons for ladies ' insubordination neither reclassified sexual orientation parts nor overcame financial reliance. I recollected why their craving for the trappings of advancement could obscure into a self-constraining consumerism. I estimated how a belief system of sentiment could end in sexual peril or a wedded lady 's troublesome twofold day. None of that, in any case, should cloud a generation’s legacy. I understand requirements for a standard of female open work, another style of sexual expressiveness, the section of ladies into open space and political battles beforehand cornered by men all these pushed against conventional limitations even as they made new susceptibilities.
While historians and scholars use a variety of lenses to analyze American history, the examination of the role that gender has played in society provides a view of history broader than the typical patriarchal tunnel vision taught in most history classes today. Men’s roles in society have been molded and crafted by the changes occurring throughout these societies, but women’s roles both in the home and in the workforce have arguably undergone many more radical transformations since the inception of the United States. Specifically, the transformation of womanhood in the first half of the nineteenth century, beginning with the market revolution, permanently changed how women are viewed in society, by both men and other women, and how women relate
In the 1920s, women struggled to develop a work identity that would give them professional status and preserve their femininity (Walkowitz, 1051). They wanted to be eligible for an executive position, but at the same time they also wanted to be Women finally began working outside the home, but not yet at the level, status, and rank they deserved. They deserved
...er, Martha J. “Losing the Battle but Winning the War: Resistance to Patriarchal Discourse in
Led by Clara Lemlich, 20,000 immigrants, mostly young women, demanded a twenty percent pay raise, a fifty-two hour workweek, and a closed shop (59). Their cause gained a significant amount of attention and caught the eye of wealthy progressive reformers, such as Alva Belmont and Anne Morgan, who perceived the strike as an opportunity to also advocate their own objective: women’s suffrage. Wealthy elites like Carnegie and Sumner may have believed that efforts to change the natural order are futile, but Morgan claimed that after learning about the details of the strike, she and other women wouldn’t be able to live their lives “without doing something to help them” (72). These affluent women demonstrated their support from both sides of the spectrum, from modestly distributing ribbons and buttons, to Alva Belmont’s contribution of her several cars to a parade for the striking workers (682) and the pledge of her mansion as surety for the bail of four strikers (76). Without the aid of these women, it was doubtful the strikers “could have lasted much longer without progressive money” (70). However, frustration arose amongst picketers as these progressive reformers turned a strike based on class struggle into a “broader feminist revolt” (68). Morgan blamed the strikers’ treatment on the inability for women to vote, not their inability to unionize (67). Striker’s retorted, asking
In the mid nineteenth century America was going through an age of reform. The person who would be the center of these reforms would be the women in society. Women soon realized that in order to make sure that all the reforms went through they would need more power and influence in society. The oppression and discrimination the women felt in this era launched the women into create the women’s right movement. The women fought so zealously for their rights it would be impossible for them not to achieve their goals. The sacrifices, suffering, and criticism that the women activist made would be so that the future generations would benefit the future generations.
In the Women’s Rights Convention of 1851, Truth repeatedly equates her worth to that of a man by her physical and intellectual abilities. Some of Truth’s statements at this convention include: “I have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man. I can carry as much as any mean, and I can eat as much too”. These statements highlight the fact that women were thought to have less physical and intellectual ability than men, and as such were afforded fewer rights. By recurrently equating herself to men in all of these arenas, Truth displayed the commonalities between men and women. Furthermore, Truth’s views came from the stance of a former African American slave, who were not. In this speech, Truth paralleled herself, a black woman, to have the same abilities as a white man, thereby attempting to change her audience’s view of the current existing American capitalist patriarchal structure that put white men at the top and women of color at the bottom of the
"New Deal." The Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History. Ed. Wilma Mankiller, Gwendolyn Mink, Marysa Navarro, Barbara Smith, and Gloria Steinem. n.p. Web. 6 Mar. 2012.
...loyment, economic battles, and stereotypical ways of life within the social order. Subsequent to the war, women had undergone through unfair compensation, loss of postwar employment, and the demands of returning to the old unchanged ways by government propaganda. As a result, these statements confirm that women are capable of great things, but their place in society were not positively affected by the end of the second war. By the end of the war there were 460,000 women in the military and 6.5 million in civilian work. Unfortunately it wasn't until the 1960s that any real, tangible change was seen for women. Without the contribution of women on the home front, there may have been no chance at winning the war. In the end, it seemed that the country disregarded that there once was a period when women were needed and were the main foundation for the country's triumph.
As women, those of us who identify as feminists have rebelled against the status quo and redefined what it means to be a strong and powerful woman. But at what cost do these advances come with?... ... middle of paper ... ... Retrieved April 12, 2014, from http://www.feminist.com/resources/artspeech/genwom/whatisfem.htm Bidgood, J. 2014, April 8 -.
Men have dominated the workforce for most of civilization up until their patriotic duties called away to war. All of a sudden, the women were responsible for providing for their family while the men were away. Women went to work all over America to earn an income to insure their family’s survival. Women took all sorts of jobs including assembly line positions, office jobs, and even playing professional baseball. When the men returned home from war, the women were expected to resume their place as housewives. The women who had gotten a taste of the professional life decided that they wanted to continue working. Thus, the introduction to women in a man’s working environment began. Women were not taken seriously at first, because they were stepping into a “man’s world”.