This is a man’s world, and it has been taken for granted that most work whether it be physical or intellectual is done, and should be done by men, and that women should only assume the role of child bearer and home maker. This essay will diswcuss the time of 1920’s, which was a significant period in history, and many women the contribution of women to society in many fields has proved that when needed women are as good as men, or sometime even better in improving the lot of humanity.
The women of 1920 would be pleasantly astonished at being described as a “new or modern woman”. Many important changes took place within the next decade for women in politics, the home, education and many other fields that were dominated by men before this time. Some changers took place because of new legislation and other because of development and progress in science and technology. However, irrespective of the changes, they improved the lot of women significantly.
Political Changes.
Women began fighting for their rights, and forced political changes. These women believed that they were in no way inferior to men, and because political changes affected both their lives and the lives of their households. The Nineteenth Amendment that was approved in 1920 conferred upon women the right to cast their votes. However, resistance to women being allowed to vote came from some women, who felt that they were infringing upon the place of men in society
They contended that women should mind home and hearth, give birth to and raise their children and leave such things as politics and working outside the home to men. These women were of the opinion that men were physically and mentally superior, and if women voted they were basically depriving men of their rights. These women opposed women suffrage because they truly believed that women were not equal to men in any way.
Famous Women in the 1920’s.
Among the famous women in the 1920’s, the woman who championed the cause of women was Alice Paul, who gained fame when the 19th Amendment was formally approved. She is also well known as one of the women who participated in the writing of the Equal Rights Amendment emphasizing that” Men and Women should have equal rights in all of the United States. Another woman who became famous in politics was Nellie Taylor Ross from Wyoming who was the first woman to become the governor of in the United States.
Women in Sports:
According to different history essays, Ederle was the first woman to swim across the English Channel to disapprove the belief by men that women did not have what it takes to swim the 35 miles to cross the Channel. Not only did she swim the Channel, she broke the record set by men by swimming the distance 2 hours lesser than men. She not only won three medals in 1924 Olympic games, she achieved some fame by setting many other world records. Another world famous sportswoman was Helen Moody who won a gold medal in the 1924 Olympic games. Women also excelled in the Arts and Media, with such gifted singers as Bessie Smith who became America’s most popular blue singer’. Her first record in 1923 sold two million copies, and she was the highest paid singer in America.
Georgia O’ Keefe is considered as having broken new grounds in modern American art, when she did painting of the in her own exceptional style. Her paintings were vibrant and brilliant as she pained flowers, landscapes and pictures of the American West. Another very famous woman who achieved worldwide recognition in the arts was the actress Greta Garbo. Helen Keller was another very famous woman of the 1920’s eras, who although deaf, blind and mute since she was six years, went on to graduate from Radcliffe College, and toured the world as a lecturer and an author. She also supported causes for women, minorities and the neglected of society. Women also began working as secretaries in the 1920’s because till now even these jobs were performed by men.
Other outstanding women of the 1920’s:
Helene Rother was the first woman to be employed by General Motors as an automobile designer. She later went on to establish her own design studio, where her specialty designing the interiors for luxury cars. She also designed furniture and stained glass windows. Before this time it was common to think that women were not capable inventing things or driving cars. This fact was handsomely belied by Mary Anderson who invented the first windshield wiper. She also mixed onions and carrots and used them to fend off water from windshields. And Mrs. Alice Ramsey was the first woman who drove the 3800 miles from New York to San Francisco.
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