4. Women in the Gilded Age, c1875-c1895

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  • Created by: Alasdair
  • Created on: 07-06-17 15:32
Background of women during the Gilded Age
Growth of industrialisation and improved transport during this period meant more work was done outside family home than in traditional rural environment.
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Background of women during the Gilded Age
Progress of women's rights was also subject to economic fluctuations. E.g. First major temperance campaign after Civil War in 1873-74 coincided with economic slump.
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Gains during this period for women
Some 60,000 women took part in temperance demonstrations. Often, those who temperance also supported suffrage organisations.
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Gains during this period for women
Women who had been active in churches became active in religiously motivated temperance campaigns like Women's Christian Temperance Union (est. 1872). Though geographically widespread, members were predominantly white, middle-class Protestants.
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Gains during this period for women
Industrial growth led to more women working. By 1880s, 26% of Philadelphia's workers were women. In some urban areas where textiles were important (e.g. Atlanta & Massachusetts) women amounted to 1/3 of workforce.
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Gains during this period for women
Economic expansion also produced more opportunities for white collar work. Before 1961 clerks were mainly men but by 1880s clerical work had opened up opportunities for women, especially with development of typewriter. Female wages lower than male
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Losses during this period for women
Women's wages lower than men's and opportunities fewer
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Gains during this period for women
Women able to join unions, though not on same scale as men, and often faced hostility from them.
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Gains during this period for women
Urban growth meant more opportunities for education for women. There were new colleges for women in east while in western states there were co-educational opportunities. First training school for nurses was set up in 1873 and by 1890 there were 35.
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Gains during this period for women
There were also more organisations to care for welfare of younger urban women, such as Young Women's Christian Association (YMCA) established 1867.
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Gains during this period for women
In terms of westward expansion, there tended to be more equality between men and women, who shared hardships and joys of moving westwards. However, with the 'end of the frostier' and growth of urban centres linked together by railways,. this lessened
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Losses during this period for women
Divisions in campaigns, the impact of immigration and issue of equal pay were all factors hindering progress of women's rights.
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Losses during this period for women
Division between rival suffrage organisations had weakened overall women's rights movement. There was still lot of resentment, not only among male opponents, but also among some women, who disliked idea of suffrage.
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Losses during this period for women
Additionally, association with temperance tended to weaken focus of movement for female suffrage to weaken focus of movement for female suffrage. Women active in public sphere were associated with domestic rather than purely political concerns
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Losses during this period for women
Influx of immigrants in 1880s & 90s led to many women from Southern and Eastern Europe working from poor homes in crowded cities, taking in lodgers, working in sweatshops or working a maids & cleaners or within sex industry.
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Losses during this period for women
Immigration - domestic work came to be associated with immigrants and lost its status. Still hard for married women to work and this was common only among AAs. Single younger women often ended up in low-skilled jobs of learning a trade
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Losses during this period for women
There were still distinct double standards. Men did not generally expect to play part in domestic chores and wages still unequal
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Progress of women's rights was also subject to economic fluctuations. E.g. First major temperance campaign after Civil War in 1873-74 coincided with economic slump.

Back

Background of women during the Gilded Age

Card 3

Front

Some 60,000 women took part in temperance demonstrations. Often, those who temperance also supported suffrage organisations.

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

Women who had been active in churches became active in religiously motivated temperance campaigns like Women's Christian Temperance Union (est. 1872). Though geographically widespread, members were predominantly white, middle-class Protestants.

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

Industrial growth led to more women working. By 1880s, 26% of Philadelphia's workers were women. In some urban areas where textiles were important (e.g. Atlanta & Massachusetts) women amounted to 1/3 of workforce.

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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