The establishment of duties within a social group, based on gender, is known as the sexual division of labor. The early 20th century produced many surprising changes for the United States, providing similarities as well as differences in comparison to the mid-20th century regarding women in the workplace. The early 20th century ranges from the year 1901 to about 1933 and is known as a time of urban and industrial modernization, which brought forth many opportunities for women. However, this era brought forth many challenges as well, especially with women organization in unions. Women were faced with great opposition from their male counterparts. The mid- 20th century ranges from about 1934 to 1967 and gave rise to many social movements based off of the movements from the early 20th century. The transition of women in the work place moved from temporary, unorganized, unskilled and exploited workers in the early 20th century to permanent, educated, organized and protected workers in the mid-20th century. “When we stop asking why women have not organized themselves, we are led to ask how women were, and are, kept out of unions” (Kessler-Harris, 94). The Cult of Domesticity rose hand-in-hand with the advancement of the American middle-class. Women of this time were expected to be selflessly emotional, morally pure and submissive in their roles as a mother and wife, while the husband supported his family financially as he was seen as intellectually superior. Although women gained moral authority, they were restricted to a life of economic dependence and limited role choices. Men typically condemned work outside of the home and expected a wife to provide a domestic refuge of purity and to devote her life to unpaid labor within the home.... ... middle of paper ... ...n’s Bureau that legislation limiting long working hours for women should be imposed where and when the union is not strong enough to limit hours. In 1927, Fannia Cohn admitted that in the absence of unionization amongst women, it would be unwise to disagree with protective legislation. “Limited labor-force opportunities, protective labor legislation and virtual exclusion from labor unions institutionalized women's isolation from the mainstream of labor” and confirmed the assumed role of women in society (Kessler-Harris, 105). Although it was acknowledged by many that the competition between men and women in the workplace was unhelpful for all workers and unreasonable, noneconomic arguments won out during the first two decades of the twentieth century which released some stress from women, but concurrently established their place in jobs most prone to exploitation.
May begins by exploring the origins of this "domestic containment" in the 30's and 40's. During the Depression, she argues, two different views of the family competed -- one with two breadwinners who shared tasks and the other with spouses whose roles were sharply differentiated. Yet, despite the many single women glamorized in popular culture of the 1930's, families ultimately came to choose the latter option. Why? For one, according to May, for all its affirmation of the emancipation of women, Hollywood fell short of pointing the way toward a restructured family that would incorporate independent women. (May p.42) Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday and Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, for example, are both forced to choose between independence and a happy domestic life - the two cannot be squared. For another, New Deal programs aimed to raise the male employment level, which often meant doing nothing for female employment. And, finally, as historian Ruth Milkman has also noted, the g...
For over centuries, society had established the societal standard of the women. This societal standard pictured the ideal American woman running the household and taking care of the children while her husband provided for the family. However, between 1770 and 1860, this societal standard began to tear at the seams. Throughout this time period, women began to search for a new ideal of American womanhood by questioning and breaking the barriers society had placed upon them.
“The Pastoralization of Housework” by Jeanne Boydston is a publication that demonstrates women’s roles during the antebellum period. Women during this period began to embrace housework and believed their responsibilities were to maintain the home, and produce contented and healthy families. As things progressed, housework no longer held monetary value, and as a result, womanhood slowly shifted from worker to nurturer. The roles that women once held in the household were slowly diminishing as the economy became more industrialized. Despite the discomfort of men, when women realized they could find decent employment, still maintain their household and have extra income, women began exploring their option.
However, it introduces the nineteenth century idea of “the cult of domesticity”. Historian Barbara Welter wrote an article on the idea in 1966 that explains this early nineteenth century ideology that a woman 's role at home should focus on: piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity (Welter 151). The cult of domesticity roughly breaks down to it being a woman 's duty to be respectfully religious, sexually pure before marriage, accepting of male dominance over women, and the overpowering idea that domesticity will preserve a woman from her own wandering
A woman in the workplace was common but they did not receive the pay they deserved. Often, a woman’s job was the same as the previous male, but they did these jobs for 53% of the male’s pay. (Tolman) Eventually many woman and men went on strike demanding equal pay.
One of the most significant sociological changes in the nation's history began in the last decade of the nineteenth century and the ramifications are still being felt today. This change consisted of the large numbers of women who entered the work force. This dramatic change in American society was accompanied by a great deal of controversy and prejudice directed towards women. It was predicted that female employment would bring about the downfall of society and the change of the American family.
The Cult of Domesticity became the dominate outline for how women should be and act in society through this women were seen as the holders of morality and teachers of morality to their husband and children, a great leap from the views of the Salem Witch Trails which made women out to be sinful and puppets of the devil. The Cult of Domesticity was also revolutionary because it allowed women some say over their body when it came to sex and reproduction though women were expected to be submissive to their husbands they could limit how much sex they had and in turn limit the amount of children they had. With this it then meant that there were more expectations created for men as well. They were expected to participate as well making them less in control than they had previously been and while women would still not gain the right to vote until 1919 the Cult of Domesticity and similar ideas help to make that possible. Now in the 21st century while women may still face a few issues or societal norms most women have the ability to vote and full control over their bodies with the choice when, if it all, to do things like marry or have
In the 1950s, women comprised less than one third of the labor force (Berger, 4) (See Appendix B). Women had their place in the workforce, yet it was not very influencial. Women had to fight to hold their positions while confro...
This source provided the unique perspective of what was thought to be the perfect household, with a man who worked and a wife who cooked and cleaned. However, it also showed how a woman could also do what a man can do, and in some cases they could do it even better. This work is appropriate to use in this essay because it shows how men talked down to their wives as if they were children. This work shows the gradual progression of woman equality and how a woman is able to make her own decisions without her husband’s input.
A house is not a home if no one lives there. During the nineteenth century, the same could be said about a woman concerning her role within both society and marriage. The ideology of the Cult of Domesticity, especially prevalent during the late 1800’s, emphasized the notion that a woman’s role falls within the domestic sphere and that females must act in submission to males. One of the expected jobs of a woman included bearing children, despite the fact that new mothers frequently experienced post-partum depression. If a woman were sterile, her purposefulness diminished. While the Cult of Domesticity intended to create obliging and competent wives, women frequently reported feeling trapped or imprisoned within the home and within societal expectations put forward by husbands, fathers, and brothers.
"Women Go to Work." American Decades. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, Et Al. Vol. 3: 1920-1929. Detroit: Gale, 2001. U.S. History in Context. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
During the Great War and the huge amount of men that were deployed created the need to employ women in hospitals, factories, and offices. When the war ended the women would return home or do more traditional jobs such as teaching or shop work. “Also in the 1920s the number of women working raised by fifty percent.” They usually didn’t work if they were married because they were still sticking to the role of being stay at home moms while the husband worked and took care of the family financially. But among the single women there was a huge increase in employment. “Women were still not getting payed near as equally as men and were expected to quit their jobs if they married or pregnant.” Although women were still not getting payed as equally it was still a huge change for the women's
the Labor Site. Women in the Workplace - a history. n.d. 15 November 2013 .
It is, therefore, natural for most companies to think that women cannot be as capable as men in terms of assuming strenuous or challenging positions because women, by default, become less participatory and more vulnerable when they start to have family and children. Apparently, this situation has led to various gender discriminations in the labor market. In conclusion, although the roles of men and women have radically changed over the turn of the century, it is still inevitable to have various gender-related occupational differences because the social and biological roles of women and men do not really change. Society still perceives women as the home makers and men as the earners, and this perception alone defines the differing roles of men and women in the labor market.
Women were drawn into the work place in the 1960's when the economy expanded and rising consumer aspirations fueled the desire of many families for a second income. By 1960, 30.5 percent of all wives worked and the number of women graduating from college grew. (Echols, 400) Women soon found they were being treated differently and paid less then their male co-workers.