Social Life Between the Wars

The Roaring 20s

The New Woman?  There was an increased prominence of women in the ‘public sphere’  Due to the large number of male deaths during World War One, women constituted majority of the population in many European countries.  Women gained the right to vote in both Britain and France  In Britain this was only initially afforded to women aged over 30  Women in France did not get the vote until after World War Two

The New Woman?  This was mirrored by an increased role in the social and economic life  Due to developments in mass production and scientific management there were more jobs suitable for women to be employed in.  Even in these new professions women earned less money than their male counterparts  Working women were generally single as married women working was frowned upon  The increased presence of women in the workforce was resented by both male and female traditionalists.

The New Woman?  Women were also misrepresented by the mass media in newspapers, magazines and the radio  The focus was mainly on the small number of women living in urban settings to reflect the progress of women as a whole.  This new woman smoked cigarettes, wore short skirts, had short hair and an alleged disdain for the morality of her parents.  These women were few in number and middle class however due to this type of wide scale representation there appeared to be more of them and ‘dangerous’ and established than what they actually were.

The New Woman? ‘The worlds conjured up by the illustrated magazines, serials and hospital romances, by romantic films and musical comedies and by advertising and the new consumerism made their mark on the attitudes and daydreams of many young women in the white-collar class. In reality, unfortunately, their incomes were so low that the most they could hope for was to make an occasional hard-earned outing into this brave new world on a night off or at the weekend.’ German historian Detlev Peukert

Source Task – Female Employment Levels (Answers)  in what areas did the percentage of women workers decline in Germany between 1907 and 1925?  Domestic services  Farm workers  In what areas did their participation increase?  Industrial workers  White collar and government employment  Why might these roles be considered more ‘visible’?