Women During The Great Depression

     On Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, the U.S. stock market crashed. This triggered the Great Depression, the worst economic collapse in the history of the modern industrial world. The collapse of the economy lead to vast numbers of people loosing employment.  Although many men found themselves without work, the percentage of women working increased slightly during the Depression as traditionally female fields of teaching and social services grew under New Deal programs.

African-American women especially, found it easier to obtain work than their husbands, taking such jobs as domestic servants, clerks, textiles workers and other such occupations. Employment increased these women’s status and power within the home, and gained them a new voice in domestic decisions.

Image used claiming Fair use. “Black Women During The Great Depression”- nwhm.org https://www.nwhm.org/media/category/exhibits/africanamerican/welders.jpg

     Prior to the Depression, many women did not pursue higher education by enrolling in college courses as women do today. If women did engage in academia their involvement was often limited t due to the fact that if they planned to marry, they would not be permitted to work thereafter. However, during the Great Depression female students took on new roles that challenged traditional gender stereotypes in all parts of their lives. Including an increased involvement in sports activities, new attitudes toward domestic responsibilities, and most importantly, the pursuit of higher education.

Image used claiming Fair Use. “UW women's fencing team in 1939”- University of Washington.  http://depts.washington.edu/depress/images/univ_wash/fencers_600.jpg

    

  For the first time, women were actively being encouraged to act in their own self-interest regarding the terms of their education. Women across the nation united through their gender and rallied together as they began to question the limited roles and opportunities that were currently available to them as students.  As result of such actions higher education among women, throughout multiple areas of academic interest, began to increase nationwide. Women abandoned their stereotypical roles as a docile students and enrolled in courses differing from what was thought to be popular or typical for women students at the time.

Image used claiming Fair Use. “Women in the Workforce”-  http://cdn2.holytaco.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/great_depression_women_unsavory_working.jpg