The Women In History

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

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Women in History

Introduction

Women played a major role in the history of America in spite of being faced with conflicting concerns about their position in the society. Each generation faced new challenges such as economic depression, war, politics, as well as activity. As a result, women were compelled to struggle with the expectation of the society. Women tried as much as they could to reconstitute social equity antebellum so as to lower the American women who were emancipated to attain a level that is of economic subservience, an aspect that enslaved them virtually. However, the time of radical reconstruction offered women challenges, as well as benefits of civil and political rights. Therefore, the social time of change saw a little group of Women in America fight for gender equality since the country was highly embarked on a conflicted and tumultuous era-construction (pp. 560-562). This essay describes the history of women in America.

America’s workforce was diverse since the country’s backbone labor force was formed by common laborers. They were considered to be human machines, the last in the economic ladder of the country and originating from immigrant groups. The occurrence of the Great Depression led to difficulties in finding work. On the other hand, the ending of the century created other problems by attempting to eradicate skilled workers control by the breaking up of employment opportunities to lesser parts, and substituting workers who were skilled with workers who were not skilled. Even though such efficiencies were to create a greater range of goods produced and cheaper prices to American consumers, the workers, more especially those who were skilled lost in the deal. An example of such workers is a young girl named Mary. She was young, and as a weaver, she went to work in the mill for textiles when she was twelve years attending the machines. When she reached fourteen years, mechanization had transformed her work to monitoring the power looms. Mary worked for twelve hours in a day, six days in week and earned $ 1 per day. Although she managed to work for around twenty years, the family did not manage to save money enough to get a house. Another woman is Sadie Frowne who at the age of sixteen was working in a sweatshop in Brooklyn. Mary was a single and typical young wage earner in the late 19th century working for long hours and for fewer wages. Women were discriminated against, and as a result, they earned little money compared to what their counterpart males earned. The majority of young employed women searched for pleasure in social clubs, amusement parks and dance halls after tiring workdays (pp.682-683).

Due to increasing poverty levels for the women who came from the typical working- class, they had to look for employment. Moreover, their children also had to work and they handled machines very effectively just as how adults could do, however, they were paid less wages. Therefore, there was an increase of child labor for several decades until the World War I ended. Many children were orphaned and homeless while some were abandoned by their families. During this time, most unmarried women whose occupation was offering of domestic services shifted gradually to working in the factories and later they worked in offices. On the other hand, white women who were married seldom worked from their homes, but they worked extra hard to supplement the family earnings by performing piecework and taking in boarders. Another group of married women of African American origin used to work as domestics in the white family homes. The greatest challenge during this era is that women and children had to play a major role in improving the economy of the family. Moreover, the income that came from children and wives proved to be very crucial for the survival of the family (p.684)

By 1880s, there was advancement in the industry sector due to the initiation of mechanization that brought technological progress to offices. Machines such as the typewriter, adding machine and cash register were invented. Consequently, women became lucky since employers sought to recruit them as they wanted literate employees and specifically women who would work for low wages as compared to men. The women also were on demand because employers knew that these women did not have many other ways in which they would employ their education. On the other hand, white women who belonged to the middle-class began dominating clerical work, and they really appreciated this opportunity since the clerical work was more discreet as compared to the factory work. In addition, by working as clerks, they would earn more wages within a few hours unlike the rigorous working conditions at the factory that would wear them out due to long hours of working with little payment (pp.687-689).

Towards the end of the 19th century, the department stores in the United States became the emblem of a novel consumer culture. Consequently, women who worked as stock clerks and cash girls in the department stores experienced an increase in their wages that ranged between $3 to a remarkable $25 within a week. However, there was a challenge of gender segregation despite this tremendous achievement. It therefore meant that the earnings women would get had to be kept low. Moreover, another challenge was that the saleswomen were subjected to harsh discipline. In addition, the employees who worked at the department stores regarded themselves to be of a higher status as compared to factory workers, even considering the fact that they were often paid fewer wages (pp.687-692).

The industrialization development that happened during this period radically transformed the workplace conditions such that men increasingly began to work away from home as women stayed at home. This brought about development of a new philosophy concerning homes and the role that women play in it. A cultural ideology known as "cult of domesticity" which ordered the role that women played came about due to the division of the home and the workplace. This ideology describes the idea that homes provide protection from the tribulations that the world offers and that a woman’s position was intended to be the home. The woman had to ensure that the home was a comfortable haven for the members of the family to live peacefully and enjoy the benefits of good mothering. On the other hand, after the Civil, the decades that followed saw an increase in possession of material within the middle-class homes. It became such an accomplishment to possess a house such that it marked the gap that existed between the working class and the middle class. Moreover, women who came from the middle and upper class homes relied more on wages from domestic labor to help ease the load of the housework. Most of these women who worked as domestics were immigrants and they came from Ireland. They suffered a lot since they worked for long hours and their privacy was not respected. This led to many of them preferring to work at factories (pp. 692-694).

Poor women, as well as those of working class sought leisure in entertainment due to the increasing number of; music houses, ballparks, dance halls and amusement arcades. Furthermore, the saloon which was frequented by majority of the women from the working class became an headquarter for social, union and political issues to be aired. Married women regularly visited dance halls, although this brought the attention of reformers who were against such pleasures since the practice would easily lure working women who were young into prostitution. By 1870s, people from all classes played baseball as a favorite pastime. Generally, there was mass entertainment during this period and the women were also part of this recreation. It was a time that broke the monotony of the hectic routine that women had as they tried to make ends meet, as well as provide care to their families (pp.698-701).

Women moved into politics as they sought for ways to handle the problems that they faced. The issues that affected them included their voting rights and temperance that

required urgent attention. One of the prominent reformists who worked hard to bring change in this case was Frances Willard. In 1974, a union known as Woman’s Christian Temperance was formed under Annie Wittenmyer’s leadership. The union advocated that people ought to abstain from alcohol due to its numerous negative impacts. It also argued that women had the role of protecting their homes and families from husbands, brothers and sons who were addicted to alcohol thus, depleting the family’s income and subjecting their families to hostility. In the year 1879, Frances Willard became the president of this union and the union drifted from its religious approach and began viewing alcoholism as a serious disease, which required urgent intervention before it would rob the entire society of its energetic workforce, as well as ruin many families and homes (pp.705-711).

There were several other accomplishments made due to the formation of this union. For instance, it greatly expanded its activities so that it would address associated social problems that faced the homeless and the poor. Moreover, the organization established reformatories for women that defended the rights and privileges for women. The reforms were enacted so that they would air the voice of the powerless and the underprivileged in the society. The organization also sponsored day nurseries that enabled children from the low class families to obtain education. In addition, medical dispensaries were established that saw the improvement of health among residents as they would easily access medical attention. Lodging houses were also built for the purpose of housing the poor; this gave hope to those who were homeless. In pursuit of temperance, this organization vigorously advocated for women’s liberation from any kind of suffering. It was composed exclusively of women and it constituted a vital and influential force for the American women. Consequently, by 1890s, Frances Willard’s headship had successfully legitimized the issues that faced women and she left the union with a powerful legacy of outstanding political activism (pp.718-721).

Unlike the union of Woman’s Christian Temperance (WCTU), the movement that was organized to pioneer women suffrage maintained being relatively weak and small towards the end of the 19 century. The movement of women rights that was started by Cady Stanton Elizabeth in 1848 in the Falls of Seneca split. The split happen in 1867. The major reason for the split was due to the conflicts that arose whether the Fifteenth and Fourteenth Amendments that granted the rights to vote to men of African American origin ought to be extended to women also. Therefore, Stanton and ally, Anthony, and Susan started the NWSA (National Woman Suffrage Association) in 1869, challenging women to be offered rights to vote. In addition, during the same year, a group that was a bit more conservative, AWSA (American Woman Suffrage Association) was launched. This group was more beneficial as it composed of both women and men. This group had a believed that women should be allowed to locally vote, and not nationally. However, by 1890’s the two groups, NWSA and AWSA resolved their differences that resulted to their split and became united to form NAWSA (National American Woman Suffrage Association). The union of these groups brought about drastic changes in the movement of women suffrage. When NAWSA launched its campaigns at the national level, it gained support. In addition, the campaigns became a success in 1893, at the state of Colorado, and 1896 at the state of Idaho. The women movement campaign failed in 1896 California. Even though the Nineteenth Amendment ratification that offered women the right to participate in electoral processes took about three decades more, the women movement unified and supported the WCTU and the People's Party that positioned women in the society, as well as their growing responsibility in reform and politics (725-730).

Conclusion

It is apparent from this essay that various groups of women and from various walks of lives underwent several challenges such as being paid low wages, poor conditions of work, being segregated from the society, as well as being burdened with household chores. Through the women movement suffrage, women were able to take step and make several accomplishments that enabled them to defend the rights of women and as a result, brought changes to the society.