Women in the Great Depression
The 1920s was a time of optimism and energy, with a booming American economy that showed no signs of slowing, and no one realized that it was a bubble about to burst. The stock market crash came on "Black Tuesday," October 29, 1929, when panicking investors sold an unprecedented 16.4 million shares of stock. The collapse touched every part of the economy. Factories closed. Businesses failed. Five thousand banks collapsed, wiping out the life savings of 9 million families. Many lost their homes. One in every three workers was either unemployed or on short hours and reduced wages. "While crops rotted in the fields...people starved in the cities. People wore threadbare clothing, while bales of cotton stood unsold...Thousands of shoe workers were laid off, while people walked the streets in cardboard shoes." Elected president in 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt restored some hope and confidence in people. But despite his efforts to revive the economy through the New Deal, the Great Depression continued year after year. Only the mobilization of resources because of World War II pulled the United States out of its slump, and the economy finally regained its 1929 levels in 1941. But the Gre
The public was very hostile to female workers, especially married ones. Many rejected the idea of women working because they believed that women took away jobs from men and that a woman's place was in the home. Women workers faced a great deal of discrimination and were often more vulnerable than men to lose their jobs. Some organizations refused to hire or dismissed women employees simply because they were married. Women factory workers, teachers, and clerical workers who lost their jobs were forced to turn to domestic service. Some, in desperation, turned to prostitution. Some manufacturers, such as those in the tobacco industry and garment industry, took advantage of the situation and hired many women who were willing to work for extremely low wages. Times were particularly hard for black women. Because of racism and their lack of skills, oftentimes they were "the first to lose their jobs and the last to get relief from welfare agencies." They got the least desirable jobs, such as street cleaning and garbage collection. The Great Depression changed America: its economy, its people's way of living, its values and attitudes. Among the many changes was the evolving role of women. They had triple responsibilities: the household, child raising, and work. Intense pressure was put on them, as economic nee
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Approximate Word count = 884
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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