How Did The Great Depression Affect Women
The Great Depression affected men and women in many different ways. Women during this time were undermined constantly by the workforce. Along with being refused jobs because of their gender; they were being paid less for the same work. Women during this decade were ridiculed for trying to support their families.
The number of married women working doubled in size during the Depression, though many believed that women who were working, especially those with a working husband, were stealing jobs from men who deserved it more. A poll was taken in 1936 to see what everyday people thought of women working while married, only 15% of people asked approved, 48% disapproved, and 37% thought it was circumstantial. The most common argument for women staying home is that their children needed them at home full time. Some people even tried to make women a scapegoat for the failing economy, but that never stuck, because some had no choice but to work. The jobs that were most occupied by women were ones like schoolteachers, and nurses. In addition to full grown women working, young girls picked up jobs too. The percentage of girls 14 and older went from 24.3% to 25.4%. Women actually entered the workforce twice as fast as men, because companies were willing to pay them substantially less. The …show more content…
That deal made connections with federal programs and regular people stronger. When women attempted to qualify for the new programs they were not treated as equal citizens. ¼th of the National Recovery Administration codes had a lower minimum wage for women than men - even if they were doing the same job. Women were also considered unfit for construction and labor intensive jobs, women on relief were mostly left to sewing. Social security benefits were modeled after a head of the house male (one that earns all money) and a dependent wife. This was not good for all the women that didn’t fit that and it said
The number of married women working doubled in size during the Depression, though many believed that women who were working, especially those with a working husband, were stealing jobs from men who deserved it more. A poll was taken in 1936 to see what everyday people thought of women working while married, only 15% of people asked approved, 48% disapproved, and 37% thought it was circumstantial. The most common argument for women staying home is that their children needed them at home full time. Some people even tried to make women a scapegoat for the failing economy, but that never stuck, because some had no choice but to work. The jobs that were most occupied by women were ones like schoolteachers, and nurses. In addition to full grown women working, young girls picked up jobs too. The percentage of girls 14 and older went from 24.3% to 25.4%. Women actually entered the workforce twice as fast as men, because companies were willing to pay them substantially less. The …show more content…
That deal made connections with federal programs and regular people stronger. When women attempted to qualify for the new programs they were not treated as equal citizens. ¼th of the National Recovery Administration codes had a lower minimum wage for women than men - even if they were doing the same job. Women were also considered unfit for construction and labor intensive jobs, women on relief were mostly left to sewing. Social security benefits were modeled after a head of the house male (one that earns all money) and a dependent wife. This was not good for all the women that didn’t fit that and it said