Women's Changes In The 1920s

The Roaring Twenties were a time of change for all of America. It was a time of new morals and political change. America was becoming a more urban and wealthy nation. The twenties were a liberating time for most Americans, especially women. Life improved for women in the 1920s because they gained a new freedom in society and they were guaranteed the right to vote, even though they were still considered inferior to men in the workplace. One way how women 's lives improved in the 1920s was because women had new roles in society. A new style for young women called the flapper became extremely popular. Flappers represented the new morals of young women in the 1920s. Hemlines of the dresses were shortened, sleeves and necklines were reduced, and

Even though women 's lives improved during the 1920s in many ways, they still faced inequality in the workplace. Women gained the right to vote and new freedom in the 1920 's, but they were still discriminated against in the workplace. They were prevented from most well-paying jobs and middle and upper-class white women were expected to stay home instead. Most poorer women still held jobs that were low paying and struggled to work to support themselves and their families. Women worked longer hours and got paid significantly less than men did. The long hours effected working mothers who couldn 't be home to take care of their children and had to work instead. Women also faced exploitation in the workplace because it was easier for their employers to get away with paying them less. Ella Mae Wiggins was a famous poet that conveyed the struggles and hardships of female workers of the time though her powerful pieces. She was a part of the fight for better working conditions. Another reason why women faced hardships in the workplace was because women had been on an almost equal level with men in the workplace until men came back from World War I. When all the men left to fight in World War I, they left their jobs open. Their positions were filled up by others with lower jobs, like women and African Americans. For women, these jobs paid better and were "less susceptible to economic exploitation." This meant that they were less likely to have been treated unfairly for their work for the benefit of others. Once the war had ended and men had come back, women had to give their jobs back to the men. This resulted in women returning to white-collared jobs or work at home. They had lost these beneficial opportunities in the workplace. Despite the fact that women still faced obstacles in the workplace during the 1920s, they still had a new sense of freedom and were able to vote. They could earn a proper education to get better jobs and voting had given them more