As men lost their jobs during the Great Depression, women's employment rates rose. In 1930, 10.5 million women worked outside of the home. By 1940, 13 million women worked outside of the home. Most of these jobs were service related jobs, and women were paid much less and sometimes late. Many women were the primary breadwinners of their families. Men found ways to complain. Was it complaining about the unfair pay, mistreatment, and jobs that were based off of rigid gender roles? Nope. The complaint was that women were "stealing jobs that men needed." Never mind that the jobs were extremely sex-typed and would have hired women anyways. Even women got in on the criticism: some women's colleges encouraged graduates to not immediately get jobs, but to let men get jobs first. Even volunteer work with the government was steeped in gender roles. Laws were passed that prohibited families from having two breadwinners working in the government. The CCC refused to hire women. FERA taught women household skills and women were generally employed as household aides or making goods for needy families. It's much worse for women of color. Black women were employed as household helpers by FERA. Employers would hire white men and women instead of women of color. Black women who worked domestic and farm related jobs as a result of centuries of racism had few laws passed to ensure fair treatment. Laws passed that set minimum wages and maximum hours didn't apply to many of the jobs that black women had. However, there was some advancement. Mary McLeod Bethune became the highest ranking African American woman in the government at that time. Eleanor Roosevelt fought some policies that harmed women. In the home, women had to find creative ways to save and make money. Many performed jobs for others such as doing laundry to make money, and people found ways to save money through sewing their own clothes and canning foods. Many women were still unable to escape poverty. Through hard times, the feminist movement lost momentum, but women found ways to become part of the labor movement. Through this era, women showed so much resilience, and found more independence.
Source: BOEHM, LISA KRISSOFF. "Women, Impact of the Great Depression on." Encyclopedia of the Great Depression, edited by Robert S. McElvaine, vol. 2, Macmillan Reference USA, 2004, pp. 1050-1055. U.S. History in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3404500550/UHIC?u=vol_h99hs&xid=73687bb3. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017.
This is a very interesting post that clearly explains this stage of women's journey towards equality. In the 1920's it seemed women were beginning to feel very empowered and much more free than they had in the past. Often, when people visualize the decade before the Great Depression, they think of flappers, women who tested the limits. Leading up to the Great Depression, women were gaining more independence and making choices in their own interests, wearing the clothes and makeup that they wanted to, speaking very informally, and even drinking alcohol. They were also becoming increasingly important to the labor force, as they continued to gain more of a say throughout the nation and therefore have a larger role in society. The change in gender dynamics when the Great Depression happened is fascinating, as women lost their jobs more quickly than men but also came back into the work force more quickly. Also, many women had jobs such as teachers and nurses, which meant there were many women who were actually able to keep their jobs once the Depression began, as opposed to workers in the manufacturing industry, which was hit much harder and had to face many more layoffs.
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