Essay On Women In The 1920's

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Women throughout history have always been oppressed. They were thought of as objects to create families and keep the husband happy. This began to change when women started to argue for more rights in the 1800’s. It still took many years for women to receive equal rights though. In 1920 women in America were finally granted suffrage, meaning the right to vote. This opened so many possibilities for women because now their voice can be heard. While women have always worked either as a housewife or in the field, it was not until World War II that many women started to begin careers. After the war though there was a big emphasis on religion and family in the 1950’s and 1960’s. This push for Americans to be religious and have a more traditional family …show more content…

Her piece mentioned that women have the problem with no name. This problem seemed apparent in all women across America during this time. The problem with no name is that women were unsatisfied with their lives. This was due to them doing the same thing every day, not pursing a higher education, and being told that they should be happy with their roles. During this time many magazines and advertisements pushed the image that women were supposed to be happy housewives, with a white picket fence, and kissing their husbands off to work. In Friedan’s piece she stated, “And the women’s magazines, deploring the unhappy statistics about these young marriages, urged that courses on marriage, and marriage counselors, be installed in the high schools” (p. 10). This shows that America was pushing for women in this age to marry young and produce children even if she is unhappy with her marriage. Betty Friedan’s stance on this lifestyle for women was that is was destructive to a woman’s identity and belief in herself. In her piece she interviewed a woman who stated, “I begin to feel I have no personality. I’m a server of food and a putter-on of pants and a bedmaker, somebody who can be called on when you want something. But who am I?” (p. 14). This was how many of the women felt during this