Women in USA in the 1920s

The 1920s brought freedom and opportunity for women because there were some things they could

not do before WW1.

Before WW1 middle-class women in the USA were expected to lead restricted lives.

• They had to wear restrictive clothes and behave politely.• They were expected not to wear make-up.• Their relationships with men were strictly controlled.• They had to have a chaperone with them when they went out

with a boyfriend.• They were expected not to take part in sport or to smoke in

public.• In most states they could not vote.• Most of them were expected to be housewives and very few

paid jobs were open to women.

The effect WW1 had on women’s lives

When USA joined the war in 1917, some women were taken into the war industries, giving them experience

of skilled factory work for the first time. They had the opportunity to be near and to work with men.

Women’s lives in the cities after the war

Women started to wear more daring clothes. They smoked and drank with men in public. They went out with men, in cars, without a chaperone. They kissed in public. In urban areas women took jobs.

The new freedom and opportunities 1920s brought to women

• They could vote.• The relationships weren’t controlled by a chaperone• They had their money.• There were more divorces.• Housework became easier because of the electrical goods.• Sex was sold in films, newspapers and magazines.

The flappers

The flappers were controversial figures in the 1920s, they were women in the cities which talked about throwing off the older conventions.

On the other hand for many women life remained the same. There was still a big difference between women and men, even when they did the same job they were still paid less than men. The same happened to political power, they could vote but they didn’t have access to political power.

Life in rural areas

Life in rural areas was more restricted because people were more strict, conservative and religious. They didn’t have electrical appliances, and all the stuff people in the city had. These women found the city life an unrespectable thing. The old ladies also thought like that.

In spite of these changes most of the women kept their religion and traditional values. Films and novels represented a different way of living from the one that women lived during 1920s. The reaction of many women was one of opposition and outrage.

Here are some videos were you can see the flappers and women in the 1920s.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3svvCj4yhYc&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMIgvXOm-J4&feature=related