Mrs. Price
Olivia Piazza
CH2D1-02
December 23, 2016
Women through the Ages
In present day it is easy for a person to take for granted what comes so simple to them. Women have not always been in the position in which they are seen as equals to men. In the course of the last decade, women have evolved as human beings through revolutions in the 1920’s, 1960’s and modern day era.
The 1920’s is the decade in which many women started to blossom as individuals, with the motives of being seen as a part of society. When the First World War broke out, many of the averaged day men were conscripted into the army. Because of this, the Canadian government was worried that the economy would suffer severely do to the lack of male workers. In order
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Since women were not considered persons, Murphy was questioned to see if she could thoroughly carry out the case. This event spiralled into one of the greatest Canadian women history studies, known as the person’s case.(2) After women found out about the incident, many of them complained to the government with the intentions of having women being seen as citizens in society. Yet none of the members of government, including Prime Minister, Robert Borden, agreed with these women’s morals and beliefs. The disapproval encouraged five women, known as The Alberta Five (Emily Murphy, Louise McKinney, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, and Henrietta Muir Edward), to go to the Privacy Council where the new law stated that women were then considered persons.
One of the major symbols of women identity in the 1920’s was the flapper.(3)(4) A flapper was a young woman who opposed the conservative roles that society had played out for women. They dressed in short skirts and flowed out dresses. To show that they had control over their own lives, these young women would go out partying, drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. They seduced men with their charm and good looks yet also were very sly. These women were a start to an early revolution proving that women were strong, independent,
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After years of hard work many women are still finding that they receive a lower income than their male co-workers. Women are being paid less for doing the exact same a man. In an interview, actress Jennifer Lawrence says, “This could be a young-person thing, it could be a personality thing. I’m sure it’s both. But this is an element of my personality that I’ve been working against for years, and based on the statistics, I don’t think I’m the only woman with this issue … Could there still be a lingering habit of trying to express our opinions in a certain way that doesn’t ‘offend’ or ‘scare’ men?” (7) What Lawrence was trying to explain was that women always had to voice their opinion in a delicate manner with offending the male race. Yet she finds it hard to keep quite while such a major part of her life, like her income, is being affected. This not only happens to famous Hollywood actresses but to many ordinary day
The government and the general populace realized how hard the woman had worked for the sake of Canada, and this earned woman the respect that they had longed for from the general populace and the government. Furthermore, this very sense of respect was proved when the government under Prime Minister Borden approved the War measures act on September 20, 1917(“Woman’s right to vote in Canada”). This very act was a prime gesture from the Canadian government that illustrated how winning the respect of the people resulted in the destruction of the misogynistic sentiments of that era. Furthermore, many historians regard the “War Times Act” as a gesture that was carried out in order to acknowledge the efforts that women had done in order to aid in the war(“Suffrage in Canada”). As said previously, woman raised funds for war, they volunteered as nurses overseas, worked endless hours in factories in order to build munitions, and provided countless other services for the benefit of the economy and the government. Moreover, they simultaneously kept their families together,”while men went overseas”(“Woman get the vote”), and kept war efforts moving through funds raised by various non-profit organizations run by women. The government witnessed this and rewarded the services of such woman by granting them the right to vote. Furthermore, the fact the government wanted to integrate women into the Canadian political system reveals that the long arduous toiling that woman had done for the nation was finally beginning to reap rewards for their own battle for gender equality.. Although, the right to vote was only bestowed upon those who were related to soldiers fighting overseas, it nonetheless
A defining moment in Canadian history is an event in the past that has made a difference or has changed Canada. Attitudes towards women in Canada changed dramatically in the post-war period. In the pre-war period, women had gained the rights to vote and serve in Parliament. Now, women finally made the most progress shown, as they were accepted into traditionally male jobs and laws were created for equal rights between the genders in society. This began the chapter of feminism and women’s rights in Canada. Attitudes towards women in the workforce and in society reflected in society and the economy which would later affect the direction of feminism in Canada. As the post war years progressed, more women found themselves as outlaws to society
The Flapper This document is about the changing role of women during the 1920s in the United States. This was a period of gender redefinition for women, and this document shows the different roles that women want to have. This document relates to the class lecture due to us discussing the post-effects of women in the US as well as the popular styles during this time period. In class, we learned how women got a lot of jobs to help support the First World War, and this caused women to want to keep working after the war ended.
During the 1920’s many changes were happening with women's lives. With the end of the suffrage, movement women were finally gaining more opportunities in politics and in the workforce. However, majority of the country still held the belief that a women’s role was to stay home and take care of their children. From their occupation to the way they dressed women were forced to a strict lifestyle. Not only were they pressured to stay home but pressured to dress. The Flappers movement changed the traditional belief people held on women, women were breaking barriers by dressing and acting against the norms. Flappers were known for not acting “ladylike”, meaning they would act against the expected behavior. Women were dancing, smoking and drinking, women were taking risks and finally making choices for themselves. Flappers strived to be treated equally as men and would dress how they please, going against the social construct. Women took this movement to show society that they are more than just a housewife. Through the flapper's movement, women were slowly gaining more independence and freedom in society. The Flapper movement pushed for women’s movement and has inspired several
Flappers were described as “Slim-hipped, bobbed-haired, and rouged, wearing short skirts and dangling beads, dancing the Charleston, smoking cigarettes, and sipping bootleg gin … a far cry from earlier notions of respectable feminine decorum” (“New Woman Emerges”). They full heartedly embodied the party life. The public perception of women that this inspired was not one supported by the feminists of the time. According to author Joshua Zeitz, “The 1920s flapper sustained some of her fiercest criticism … from hard-line feminists. Whereas once the women’s rights movement had mobilized millions of activists around important issues like suffrage, occupational health and safety, income equality, and legal right, the new women of the 1920s… struck many veteran feminists as an apolitical creature interested only in romantic and sexual frivolities” (Zeitz 105).
The changing roles of women in Canada between 1900 and 1946 greatly impacted women’s lives today. Women during this time period led movements to gain rights for themselves. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union, Flappers, and the Famous Five showed women’s strength in society. Women displayed their contributions to Canada as they worked in different industries. Due to the changing roles of women during these years, women’s power resulted in the gaining of rights and personhood.
The flappers, that began flourishing during World War I, by the 1920’s had become a prominent character with their very own defining characteristics. Around the time of the WWI woman were closer than ever before to gaining women’s rights, giving women the confidence they needed to make change happen(2 2). By the time the war ended, flappers had gained an image of “slender woman in short straight dresses, long beaded necklaces, and bobbed hair, drinking gin and dancing the Charleston (1 167)”4. The flappers were the new woman of the era that were opinionated
Throughout this article the writer makes numerous references towards how the government of Canada attempted to do the right thing towards female workers during the war, but it also shows how the government’s heart wasn’t into it, thus just making offers to female workers just to appease their complaints for the time being until the war was over. The government was terrible on providing financial support to women whose husbands were away at war, offering only meager amounts of their pay each month, thus forcing more women into the workforce. The article goes on to further explain how during the war, women felt empowered by their circumstances and how once the war was over that women continued to fight towards equality and many refused to ‘go back to the kitchen’ after the war and further challenged the norms by continuing to work.
The ways of a flapper spread through the United States in the 1920s and changed young girls into a new generation as modern woman declaring a new freedom. The new emancipated women demanded to be recognized as equal to men. The flappers adopted the masculine look and started getting different haircuts and wearing very different clothes. Flappers were known for wearing an excessive amount of makeup, drinking and smoking, dancing, voting, and being very promiscuous. “From these liberating circumstances emerged a caricature: the flapper, symbol of the modern woman” (Info Base).
Between 1914 and today, Canada has changed for the better, as it becomes a more respectful country. There was a great change in women’s right shortly after WW1. Leaders such as the famous five fought for women’s right continuously. They achieved great success as women gained the right to vote and the right to serve in the Senate. Women were being respected as they were allowed to speak their mind and express their opinion, and were willing to participate in many other aspect of public life.
The more we learn about the history of women’s rights and how their status was viewed within Canadian society, the better our knowledge becomes that women have been prevented from engaging in an equal role in the country’s economy. Social equality is the idea in which all persons have the same opportunities, respect, values, social benefits and fundamental liberties. The status of Canadian women has changed dramatically over several decades. Women’s human rights in Canada, which defined their social status, were differentiated by three different periods of time, including women’s rights before the war, during the war, and after the war. Many women were treated horribly before World War One however war in general, particularly World War One,
Canada has faced many challenges in the twentieth century that have made a major impact on our lives today. Some examples include taking part in both world wars which helped our country gain global recognition, promoting immigration to make Canada a diverse multicultural country and initiating NAFTA in the 1980’s. One of Canada’s major breakthroughs included gender equality for women. Before this major change, women were viewed as less intelligent and should not have the same rights as men. These campaigns and actions taken by various individuals turned out to drastically impact Canada socially, politically and economically for the better.
A woman of 1920 would be surprised to know that she would be remembered as a "new woman." Significant changes for women took place in politics, at home, in workplace, and in education.
As soon as the war ended, many women were forced to leave their jobs to make way for the men returning home. However, many women did not forget the satisfaction of working and when they were called up to do their part in World War II, they stayed in their jobs when the war ended. In 1931 the employment rate of women was 19.3% but after World War II in 1951, the employment rate jumped higher to 24.1%. Many women who remembered what it was like working in the Great War decided to come back to work during World War II and stayed, knowing that they too can contribute to society. Even though World War One did not have as dramatic of an increase, the long-term result had indeed changed the role of Canadian women in the
The 1920s had a big impact on American life all around; however, one of the biggest changes during this time period was in the roles of women. During this time period, women started dressing different, leaving the house, getting jobs, and gaining rights. On top of all of that, they had a bigger role in education, they began taking parts in politics, and divorce became more of a common thing. This may not seem like a big deal to people today, but this was very important at the time. Prior, women had next to no rights. They lived to wait on and please their husbands. Women rarely even left the house. This time period could be said to have paved the way for modern day feminism and women’s roles. This was the time period when they began to be free and stop worrying about how society thought they should live. However, the question still remains: Did the changing roles of women in the 1920s really have a significant effect on women’s roles today? In the next few pages, one will be given examples of women’s role before, during, and after the 1920s. In each paragraph, the roles, rights, impacts, and more that women had at these times will be explained. To conclude, a comparison on how women were thought to act in these different time periods will be made in order to come up with an answer for the question stated above.