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__** Women's Suffrage During the 20th Century **__

During the 20th century women struggled for equal rights with men. Many believed that women should remain home, strictly to take care of the children, clean the house, and prepare meals for their husbands. Just before Pearl Harbor, over 80% of American men and women believed that wives should not have the right to work outside of their home if their husband was employed. This rule was so strictly followed certain industries would refuse to hire women. For example, many schools during the 20th century turned down women who were married and looking for a job. Even if a women previously worked at the school and got married were fired. The majority of Americans believed strongly that women were threatening to the nations survival by taking jobs. These issues did not stand for much longer, the rules were mitigated once the war ended. Another issue amongst the women of the 20th century on America was their rights to vote. Up until the 1920's women were not allowed to vote and voice their opinions as many people believed that the boss of the household was to make all the decisions. They also believed that women would vote based on their emotional feelings, where as men had a more shielded emotional stability which made them the right ones to make big decisions. Women created reform movements to improve the knowledge of women suffrage. It was by the 1920's when the reform movements pushed their limits and women were legally allowed to vote.

Work Cited: Chafe, William H. "World War II as a Pivotal Experience for American Women." In Women and War: The Changing Status of American Women from the 1930s to the 1940s, edited by Maria Diedrich and Dorothea Fischer-Hornung, pp. 21-34. New York: Berg, 1990