“The New Woman”

By Andreia Martins and Katherine Jackson

Women who worked primarily outside of the

house were typically single, divorced, women of color or poor married women.

Many of these “new women” were active in sports, college educated, interested in pursuing a career, and were interested in a marriage based on equality.

Some men were appalled at the idea of their women working outside of the home but many middle-class women drove the reforms of the Progressive Era.

“New Woman”

They say that during the 1920’s “a new woman

was born,” the women of the 1920’s smoked, drank, danced, and voted. A flapper was a girl who was giddy, a girl who took risks.

The first time the term “flapper” was used was in Great Britain, they used this term to describe young girls who were not yet women.

The flapper typically had short hair, short dresses that were lighter to make movement easier, this was important especially during the jazz age when energetic dancing was very popular.

Flappers

During the 1920’s many women were still

working at home, however many were starting to acquire jobs such as: Typists(a person who is skilled in using a

typewriter) Filing Clerks Telephone Operators Stenographers(a person who types what people

say) Domestic Servants

New Jobs and Opportunities

Upper and middle-class women who were

college educated and ambitious to have their own careers began making their own careers as: Social workers Settlement workers Public health nurses Teachers Librarians

Careers for Women

On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to

the Constitution was established. This allowed women the right to vote and

declared their responsibilities of citizenship. Election day in 1920 was a very gratifying day,

because this was the day that women could exercise their right to vote for the first time.

Voting Rights

Article Title: Flappers in the Roaring Twenties Date Accessed: March 30, 2015 Author: Jennifer Rosenberg

Website Title: American History USA Article Title: Working and Voting -- Women in

the 1920s Date Accessed: March 30, 2015

Bibliography

Website Title: Women in the Progressive Era Article Title: Women in the Progressive Era Date Accessed: March 30, 2015