1930s Women

The 1930s provided women with more opportunities for women in education and work. Women graduated high school at a slightly higher rate than men did. Female high school graduates increased 20% throughout the 1930s; double than that of the 1920s. However, more men continued to graduate college than women (7%); there were less female college graduates in the 1930s than in the 1920s. Even though not as many women were getting college diplomas, businesses were hiring twice as many women than men. According to the Census, more women joined the labor force (24.3%), in the 1930s, due to the Great Depression.
Although more women were working because of the weak economy, decreased wages made it hard for women to support themselves. Ten billion dollars
Again more women (63%-70%) graduated high school than men, while double the amount of men graduated college than women (8%-10%). Although less women graduated college in the 1940s, women still had a lot of employment opportunities due to the absence of men, fighting during World War II. During the war, six million women joined the labor force. In fact, the number of working women increased by 57%, and the rate of married women in the labor force increased 4% from the 1920s. While men fought overseas, women had the opportunity of taking on more “manly” jobs, such as: making machinery, meat packing, and cab driving. Women were even allowed to fly planes, drive trucks, and other big vehicles through the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, also known as WAVES, and the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots, also known as WASP. However, after World War II was over, men returned to their jobs, which caused women’s participation in the labor force to
The government had the power to ration materials and dictate what companies could make. This narrowed the variety of fashion significantly. People also lacked money due to the Great Depression in the 1930s, so it was difficult to buy fancy clothes. Even though women limited their spending on clothing, fashion was still a prominent aspect of being a woman in the 1940s. During this time, “utility” dresses, plain dresses with natural waistline and an A line skirt, became very popular. Women wore these dresses anywhere: for errands, going to the movies, and other daily activities. The “utility” dress acknowledged that women had more responsibilities and greater importance in society. In fact, women started to have more choices in fashion as seen by the acceptance of slacks on women. Up until the 1940s women were discouraged from wearing pants because it was seen as unfeminine. Because of the rationed materials in the country, corsets for women were discouraged. Not only did women gain freedom in society by wearing pants and no corsets, but they also gained physical freedom. Women were no longer constrained by tight undergarments or by having to be modest and careful with their skirts. However, when the men returned after the war and during the 1950s, women’s fashion changed to a dramatic, feminine