Today women account for about half of the workforce, however there is still a significant wage gap between men and women. As of 2017 women had more graduate degrees than men yet they still make 80.5 cents for every man's one dollar. This results in a wage gap of around twenty percent. Even though women still face discrimination, their role in society has increased tremendously. In the past years leading up to the present women have struggled with discrimination among many other things. In the 1890s, 1910s, and the 1930s women gained the most political voice and began to play a bigger role in society.
During the 1890s, women contributed a lot and played a bigger role within society. For example, Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr started the “Hull House,” a settlement house for European immigrants to come for any assistance they needed. There were about two dozen women on their staff and they assisted nearly thousands of of citizens every week. Not only did they assist infants, but sponsored many other events and occasions such as an employment bureau, lectures, health clinics, etc. Eventually Addams decided to add a political reform to her itinerary, she began vouching for new laws and regulations to provide better living conditions in poor neighborhoods. This eventually resulted in Addams to become the first woman in America to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Another great example of the growing role of women in society during the 1890s was through letters that were written by Anna Harder Ogden. During this time period many women had to make a living for themselves, they could not rely on a man to take care of them. When she was just thirteen years old she began work as a chambermaid in Berkeley, California for a women named Mrs. Lewis. Throughout the journal entries, it shows that Ogden is working so that she can provide money for her parents back home. She struggled to find work, however she eventually began taking classes on telegraphing as she was expected to make a living on her own. Ogden had many different jobs throughout her life including a chambermaid, baby-tender, laundress, and domestic servant. When these letters written by Anna Harder Ogden were released it helped her readers understand her growing role in society at this time and allowed her voice to be heard.
Between 1910 and 1920 women continued to contribute their ideas while grasping an increased role in society. Another perspective came from letters written by a woman named Elinore Pruitt Stewart. Pruitt came from a very poor family in Arkansas, when her parents died at a very young age which required her to raise her eight siblings on her own. Pruitt was a thirty two year old woman writing letters to her former employer, Mrs. Coney, keeping her updated on her success. Pruitt moved to Wyoming to work for Clyde Stewart, who would become her husband later on. These letters offer a glimpse of what working women in the nineteenth century had to face, especially as Pruitt claimed she “worked like a man.” She became a landowner and stated, “Consequently I learned how to do many things which girls more fortunately situated don’t even know have to be done,”. Not only did Eleanor Pruitt know how to run a “mowing machine,” but she was also responsible for all cooking in the household. The letters were significant because in the nineteenth century women were continuing to prove that they deserve to have just as much an impact in society as men. During this decade President Woodrow Wilson was in office and he believed that the right for women to vote should be up to the state, rather than become a constitutional amendment. A women named Alice Paul hardly agreed with President Wilson, as she went on to join the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Paul encouraged her fellow activists to use more aggressive methods such as targeting and punishing politicians who have failed to put any effort into this matter. In March of 1913 Paul organized for about 5,000 activists to protest at President Wilson’s inauguration. A few years later Alice Paul went on to create the National Women’s Party where she decided that her team must take more dramatic steps to get their point across. Picketing the White House lead Paul to face seven months in prison. Just two years later, after the Great War, women would finally be granted the right to vote in the spring of 1919 following the passing of the nineteenth amendment. All states approved this amendment and became official on August 18, 1920. In the following election, women would account for about forty percent of the votes.
Even though women had achieved the right to vote before 1930, their were still many factors blocking their chance at equality. In 1933 Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, delivered a speech at the Chicago World’s Fair on women’s rights. She began broadcasts talking about the welfare of all people, and invited anyone to write to her. The first letter she received was an insult to the fact that she was a woman, it read “Who the hell picks those hats for you? You owe it to your “public” to appear properly dressed.” Another letter from a man named Mr. Graves read, “You are nothing but a scab soap peddler. Why don’t you use some of that soap to scrub your buck teeth of yours and maybe you could talk plainer.” Many other letters from women showed their utmost respect for her and her broadcasts. She attracted all ages of people and was viewed as a very noble person. When she had said “goodbye” on the radio ending her broadcast she had received many letters from women who praised her, saying that they felt as if they were saying goodbye to a very dear friend after a long visit with her. This goes to show that women felt as if they could relate to her. The rude responses she received go to show that men were very hesitant at the time that a woman could be so powerful and have that much influence over so many people. After the Second World War life at home changed significantly as housewives had to begin working. They occupied the jobs of welders and riveters. Approximately 3.5 million people from rural areas in the South had moved to cities. The federal government agreed to supply daycares for children in order for their mothers to be able to work a full day everyday. In result of the millions of men who were drafted into the military, the government was forced to ignore all prejudice involving gender roles in society. During the war there was a Women’s Army Corps (WAC), Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES), the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and the Army Air Force. These organizations contained about 350,000 women. President Roosevelt deemed Sidney Hillman to find workers for defense. She announced that “war is calling on the women of America for production skills,”. This quote given by Hillman encouraged eight million women to enter the workforce. The government even went as far as to start a campaign to help recruit women for what was seen as a “man's” job. They used the now famous image of Rosie the Riveter, who excelled in her role as a riveter at an airplane factory. During this time many women seemed to be anxious to begin work and get out of the house and begin earning their own wages. As a female welder reflected on her job during the war, “It was the first time I had a chance to get out of the kitchen and work in industry and make a few bucks. This was something I had never dreamed would happen,”. The 1930s was a rare time in which the government was forced to allow women to play a big role in society and become a big part of the workforce.
In conclusion, during the 1890s, 1910s, and 1930s women have struggled with discrimination and faced a limiting role in society, however the role of women in society increased significantly among gaining political voice. During the 1890’s, Jane Addams became the very first woman in America to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the letters written by Anna Harder Ogden explaining the life of a young domestic worker and the struggles she faced on a daily basis. These letters allowed for her voice to be heard. During the 1910s letters were released that were written by Elinore Pruitt Stewart and offered a glimpse of what working women in this time had to face, including owning land and doing a “man's job.” During the 1930s the government was forced to provide women with a bigger role in society as they took over a man’s job during wartime. This was a significant time for women as it was something that many women could not have ever dreamed of happening. Although there are still some aspects of women and men that are not equal, such as wage gaps, the 1890s, 1910s, and 1930s were crucial for women's rights as they have improved tremendously.