1. Women in Public Life (1890 – 1920)
Chapter 9 Section 2 Notes
Women in Public Life (1890 – 1920)

2. Women in the Work Force In Rural (Farm) Areas:
Mostly in South and Midwest
Mostly lower class
Besides fields, had to care for family, laundry, and cook. A Hard Life!
Not much changed compared to past generations

3. About 20% of women had found their way into the factories to help make money
Often excluded from union membership
Most popular job = Garment industry (Making clothes and shoes)
Paid about ½ as much as men
Some sought an education (upper class) which would open more doors for them in the future
In Urban (City) areas
Factory work was
Hard and unsafe.
Clip on website of
Triangle fire

4. Educated women (10%) = at least high school degree
More graduated high school than men, who frequently dropped out to work in factories.
Most common jobs = teaching, secretaries, and nursing
Over half that had college degrees never married!

5. Minority Women
Often discriminated against in the business world. Usually totally segregated.
Typically cooked and cleaned for wealthy people to earn $$$ outside of the home.

6. Most women (70%) didn’t work outside the home
(did domestic work)

7. Women become more politically involved
Susette La Flesche
Spoke on behalf of Native Americans
Convinced U.S. to pass Dawes Act of 1887
Transferred reservation land to individuals
More freedom for individual Native Americans
Tribes lost power and land

8. Women Lead Reform
Bad pay, Bad conditions, Few Opportunities, and feeling trapped
on farms or at home made women realize they needed to get rights
Triangle
Shirtwaist
Clip On My
Website

9. The Women’s Suffrage Movement
Suffrage = Voting
Led by college educated women
Half never married
Gradually grew in size
Very persistent

10. National Women Suffrage Association (NWSA)
Founded by Susan B. Anthony (1869)

11. Other famous suffragists
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Carrie Chapman Catt
Alice Paul

14. 3 approaches to get the right to vote
1st = Convince each state Congress
Only successful in 4 states by 1900
2nd = Use the court system
Tried to convince courts that they were citizens (just like men) and all citizens should have the right to vote.
Supreme Court disagreed with the last part of the above statement
Local and State Govts. Start to agree
3rd = Get a Constitutional Amendment
Took 50 years (more in Sec. 5)
19th Amendment (1920)
Woman suffrage clip on my website