Women in the Workforce

At the turn of the century women were still being looked at as the things that cared for the children, cleaned the house, and made sure dinner was on the table when the husband got home from work. The years that made up the nineteen twenties changed the roles of women in society in a way that essentially changed life forever. With women gaining the right to vote right off the bat in 1920 it was a great start for a life changing decade As the years went on, women began to enter the work force and by the end of the 1920’s more than 75 percent of women started their jobs before their husbands. It was clear that times were changing.  By 1930 there were women as political leaders in local, state, and federal committees helping influence the country in all its decisions.

                Girls started graduating from high school and continuing on to college to further their education, although, most jobs they studied for were teaching and nursing because these were the only jobs considered practical for women.  Women who worked were no longer considered “mill girls,” they also started doing clerical work in offices and retail work in stores. It also became common that young girls would work away from their families in order to learn how to be independent and manage their own profits.

More and more women were done having children by their mid-thirties in order to pursue other interests.  By the mid-1920s every one in four women over the age of sixteen were in the work force. They began earning their own money allowing them to buy nonessentials like clothing and makeup.  However, women were still not paid a percentage of men were being paid and had half the opportunities for work. If a woman got married or pregnant, she was expected to quit her job in order to be home for her family.  The role of women changed drastically during the nineteen twenties; allowing them to work and make a living for their families helped our country move towards a more equal society.