Prior to the war it was unusual for a woman to enroll in advanced courses, due to their distinctive role in the household. Lobor unions fough against the the hiring of women in factories. Women were paid half the wages of men; and worked in conditions that were dangerous and unhealthy. Existing unions were often hostile toward towards females. Young women and girls also worked as nurses during the war.
Most women were stay at home moms or “housewives” while very few were able to work. If a woman had a job she was most likely working a low pay factory job. “The low wages, long hours, and poor working conditions women workers had faced in the 19th century intensified in the early 20th century, provoking a much more widespread women’s labor reform movement than ever before—one which involved both working-class women and middle-class women concerned with their social welfare (NWHM).” Women were being paid about 60% less than the man’s average wage. This was not ok to the women. They had believed that they were working just as hard as the men were and that the deserved the same pay.
When women began to enter the major areas of the workplace in the late 19th century and 20th centuries they faced many different obstacles they would have to overturn. Since the beginning of history, women have been looked down upon by men and seen as inferior and a class below them. After women began to gain social and political rights this terrible idea of sexism was beginning to change. When women began to enter the workforce they were beginning to challenge and change many of the social norms of previous years. They were pushing for equal rights and became emancipated by their ability to work and their new social powers.
Leadership traits identified with masculinity hurt women in the workplace due to stereotypical association. Physically, a woman has more on her plate outside of her job, whether it be taking care of family chores or giving up her working form by deciding to have a child. Men’s expected duties are focused in the workplace, while women have to balance all of their responsibilities, which cover more areas than just their careers. This expectation results in women being perceived as employees who don’t apply themselves based on quantity of time, rather than quality of work and effort. The Glass Ceiling is a result of society’s expectations of women, to assume the roles of both a career woman and a mother.
The outrage triggered the Second Wave Feminist Movement, a more modern movement, and the fight for women’s sexual freedom and equal opportunities in the workplace. The Feminine Mystique and the Women’s Rights Movement of the 1960s as well as the incident in the Miss America pageant of 1968, influenced the lives of women in the U.S. in a positive way. Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique speaks of “the problem that has no name” which signifies the unhappiness women had during the 1960s and 1970s. The book specifies on the negativity women encounter in comparison to men and what middle class women had to withstand. Due to the publication of the book there came many outbursts mainly in forms of angry letters written by women around the world wanting to be treated equally to men (Suri).
Thanks to not only these two influential and powerful women, but many more , women gained the confidence to stand up in what they 7) Believed they should earn in regards to the positions the aquire and their wages and basic right for maternity leave. for instance : Nurses went on strike over their low pay and poor working conditions, How 8) Ever through strike action nurses’ mad big gains with 75 % pay increase and 100% rise for matrons. This also included equal pay was being gained in most industries including those in which most workers were women. also to advise women 9) On their rights as workers, the working women’s centre with union and federal government backing was established in 1973. Due to this women made up 21 % of the work force and women wages was increases to 75% of 10) Male rate.
West Coast Hotel Co. V. Parrish Citation- West Coast Hotel Co. V. Parrish, 300 U.S. 379 (1936-1937) Fact- A women named Elsie Parrish, who was an employee for the West Coast Hotel Company, thought she was being paid unfairly for her work. So she brought a suit against the West Coast Hotel Company to recover the difference between what the wages paid her and the minimum wage fixed pursuant to the state law which was $14.50 per week of 48 hours. The judicial history of the case is that there were lower state court hearings and they ruled the minimum wage statue unconstitutional. Adkins vs. Children's Hospital helped play a role in their decision in the lower state courts because the Supreme Court in 1923 ruled that a minimum wage law for women was unconstitutional. The West Coast Hotel then appealed to the Supreme Court after the lower courts ruled in Parrish's favor.
In Mattson, Ayer, and Gerson article, “The Maquila in Guatemala: Facts and Trends” it talks about how in Guatemala they have approximately 230 factories that are called “Maquilas”. Maquilas in Guatemala have the meaning ‘sweatshops’ in English, meaning that the factory has workers putting excessive hours under unsanitary conditions with little pay. In these sweatshops approximately 80% of Maquila workers are women. The reason for this is because women of Guatemala actually wat to work but after joining for a few months many of them either resign or get fired for pregnancy. Many women complaint about these workshops due to the unsafe condition, verbal abuse, sexual harassment that happen to the female workers.
FMLA for Low-Income Working Women inadequate protection to meet the needs of the mother & child Kirun Dar Queens College, New York FMLA stands for Family and Medical Leave Act. It was signed into U.S. law in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. Before the FMLA, families had to decide between taking care of a sick family member with a serious health condition and keeping their jobs. Mothers of newborns complained they did not have ample time at home to spend with their infants. Because of unfair labor practices in the workplace and because of prompting from supporters of family rights, former President Bill Clinton signed FMLA into law in 1993.
Stanton helped to organize the National Women's Suffrage Association (NWSA), which aimed to overcome gender inequality by encouraging the need for women's rights. Stanton was brought up well educated but concentrated on women’s rights. She used this ethical position as an activist along with her husband to put into the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions everything she had learned about how women were being treated all around the United States. For instance, “He has denied her the facilities for obtaining a thorough education, all colleges being closed against her.” In the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions read on the first day, Stanton used pathos with a tough tone toward an audience of 200 women to provoke rage and aggression. She showed us pathos when she stated "that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights."