III. Men

Gender in the Twenties

Guiding Question

• Were the Twenties an era of progress for white women?

I. Progress

• Women experienced a large degree of social and political liberation during the twenties.

I. Progress

• Political Liberation– Suffrage granted in 1920 via the Nineteenth

Amendment.

– Despite fears it would radically alter American politics, it did not have a significant impact.

I. Progress

• Flappers– Characteristics of Flappers:

• Shunned some traditional gender roles• Sexually liberated

– Represented Flapper Slang:• "I have to go see a man about a dog" • "handcuff" • “Speakeasy”

II. Reaction

• For most women, it was NOT a time of progress, and even middle class women were still largely dominated by male expectations.

II. Reaction

• Organized feminism was divided.

• League of Women Voters – Women had a “special” role as women,

should focus on humanitarian reform.

• National Women’s Party– Men still oppress women, demanded passage

of the Equal Rights Amendment.

II. Reaction

• Failure of the ERA– The ERA was opposed by many, especially

by groups representing women laborers (think Muller v. Oregon).

– Though, the ERA vanished until the 1970s.

II. Reaction

• Flappers were only a small portion of society (middle, upper middle, upper class).

• Immigrant laborers, not to mention African American laborers, were still doubly burdened.

II. Reaction

• Flappers, while perhaps more liberated, were NOT politically oriented.

• Some even rejected old style feminism.

• Body image?

III. Men

• During the Twenties, both heterosexuals and homosexuals patronized gay clubs, known as “Panzy Clubs.”

• While never officially and widely accepted, homosexuals were more tolerated than ever before.

Review

• Did the roles of women really change in the 1920s?