Position of Women 1865-1992 Flashcards
(21 cards)
1
Q
Political pre-1900
A
- Organisations: NAWSA, NWSA, AWSA, WCTU
- Women pursuing Temperance for their husbands.
- Had no political significance, no vote
2
Q
Economic pre-1900
A
- All women workers low paid, domestic roles
- Had to work 70 hours for $5
- Extreme poverty
3
Q
Social-Cultural pre-1900
A
- Abortion illegal and dangerous
- Women expected to be married + have large families since no birth control
- Limited childcare opportunities
4
Q
Political - Mid
A
- Vote 1920, 19th Amendment
- LWV 1920 only 5% of NAWSA join
- Turnout to 1920 election = low
5
Q
Economic - mid
A
- Return to pre-war roles in 1919
- Married women in workforce in 1920s ^ by 2 million
- Limited positions in Law + Medicine
6
Q
Social-cultural - mid
A
- 1 million illegal abortions/yr until 1973
- Birth control frowned upon, only given to married women
- Flapper movement 1920s
- 1923 Margaret Sanger 1st legal birth control clinic
7
Q
Political - after 1970
A
- Radical Feminists using vote
- Equal Rights Amendment passes congress 1972
- Betty Freiden - formed NOW 1966 to press for equality
8
Q
Economic - after 1970
A
- Credit cards - needed male signatures
- Increase in well-educated wives in the workforce
- Birth Control allows women to join the workforce & choose when they want children
9
Q
Social-cultural - after 1970
A
- Katherine Switzer - 1st women to run Boston Marathon 1967
- Challenging media’s attitudes towards women
- “The Feminine Mystique” sold 1 million copies
10
Q
Position of women during the Civil War [4]
A
- Women took charge of households in male absence
- Most men didn’t support a greater political role or social equality for women
- Families remained large & limited use of contraception
- Few opportunities in professional work outside teaching & nursing -> prostitution
11
Q
The campaign for prohibition (Political & Social) [3]
A
- In 1874 WCTU became a major national organisation
- Gained 800,000 members by 1920
- Leader Frances Willard became a political force getting local areas to ban alcohol sales
12
Q
The campaign for women’s suffrage (Political) [5] (1865-1890)
A
- Susan B Anthony & Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed NWSA in 1869
- Merged with AWSA in 1890 to form NAWSA
- As result of NWSA legal challenges: SC allowed local states to allow voting
- Wyoming (1869) Utah (1870) early pioneers of women’s suffrage
- Some women groups saw political participation as reducing womens domestic roles
13
Q
The 19th Amendment (Political) [3]
A
- War for democracy against German militarism required true democracy at home
- NWSA leader Carrie Chapman Catt campaigned to persuade more states to allow women to vote
- In 1919 19th Amendment was passed, ratified in 1920
14
Q
The New Deal [5] (1929-1945)
A
- By 1939 there had only been 2 female state governors, both standing in for their husbands
- Effects of 1929 Great Depression-> women expected to give up their jobs
- Frances Perkins was first female cabinet member, Secretary for Labour
- By 1945 there was 254 women elected for state legislatures
- Eleanor Roosevelt was a vocal supporter of womens rights
15
Q
The Second World War [5]
A
- ‘Rosie the Riveter’ poster -> woman depicted in engineering job
- More women in armed forces, public office, the civil service during WW2
- Women still paid less than men
- Women didn’t participate in any major decision-making
- 2 million women lost their jobs by 1946
16
Q
New Feminism [3] (1960’s)
A
- Report on American Women of 1963 revealed extent of inequality -> revival of movement
- Betty Friedan condemned a false attitude towards women preventing women from recognising their true abilities
- NOW established in 1966, aimed to end discrimination
17
Q
The Equal Rights Amendment [3]
A
- From 1970, major campaign to gain a ERA to the Constitution
- Congresswoman Martha Griffith took up measure & succeeded in passing it by both houses & accepted by President Nixon - but wasn’t ratified by 2/3 majority of the states
- Phyllis Schlafly: stressed traditional values & feared women would lose more than they gained from equality
18
Q
Roe v. Wade 1973 [2]
A
- Court decision led to ban on states imposing abortion limits during first 3 months of pregnancy -> source of conflict ever since
- Significant advances in female awareness & educational opportunities e.g more women in Congress
19
Q
Opposition (Early-1865-1914) [5]
A
- Many regarded good education as merely a stage in preparation for marriage & motherhood
- Traditional male positions e.g law & medicine difficult to access
- Idea of ‘separate spheres’ still prevalent
- Only a minority of middle class women asserted themselves - to condemn social evils that threatened family
- Only 17,000 NAWSA members nationally by 1905
20
Q
Opposition (Mid 1915-1940) [5]
A
- Expectations for married women to return home post-WW1
- 1936 Gallup poll suggested 82% Americans opposed to women working
- Politics regarded as too dishonest & disreputable an activity for women
- Majority of married women voted the way their husbands did- little care that the vote empowered them
- W/C women had little time for political interest
21
Q
Opposition (Late 1940-1992) [5]
A
- By 1969 campaign for ERA had achieved nothing
- Right wing anti-feminist groups portrayed feminists as spinsters & lesbians
- People valuing traditional image of home & family blamed juvenile delinquency on the rising divorce rate (18.2% in 1946)
- Rad Fem supporters of ERA re-thinking their views about equality, ERA didn’t recognise distinctive qualities
- Schlafly alarmed women they could be subject to military service and have to use unisex bathrooms.
