Women in The Great Depression

The Great Depression was caused due to many different factors including over speculation, risky investments, loans, credit, and eventually, the stock market crash in 1929. This event caused a panic among Americans as they were unable to find work, support their families, or live in the same way they used to. Men spent their days searching for jobs to make money to support their families. The typical middle class American family was struggling, and for the first time women were being looked at as a possible second income,"Men finding themselves out of work now had to rely on their wives and children in some cases to help make ends meet." ("America in the Great War," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2000).)

During the war, women took typical male jobs to help in the war effort. After the war, women turned back to jobs they originally had such as housekeeping, nursing, and clerk jobs. In addition, women were feeling eased, as new electric powered appliances, such as refrigerators, clothes washers, and vacuum cleaners. Also, contraceptive devices allowed women to feel an even greater sense of independence. 

However, as soon as the depression hit in 1929, most women were the first Americans to lose their jobs. Women's rights and roles, although previously fought for and won through the nineteenth amendment, were set aside. The women's suffrage movement was unimportant during the depression, as most Americans were focused on the economic slump.
During the depression, the progresses women had made were ultimately put to a halt. Women returned to the work they had previously been doing before the depression. Women focused on maintaining the household and focusing on the children, while their husbands searched for jobs.
Women didn't have the choice to become anything during that time. The most a woman could do was work in a factory, sew, or watch children. Still, women didn't make enough money to support a family, so their income didn't do much for a family.
Overall, women took a step back during the depression. Although they previously had jobs and rights, women during this time were forced to stay home with the children while the men searched endlessly for jobs. There was no real progress with regards to women's suffrage at the time. Women had no choice but to spend their days in the home once again, as it was the only thing they would be able to do. During the Great Depression, women's suffrage took a back seat, and women worked in the home, taking close care of the children.



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