Women in the Workforce

Group: 6 Janelle Maskulka, Hannah Reifer, Laura Welker, Andrea McNett Group Leader: Hannah Reifer Scribe: Janelle Maskulka Topic: Women in the Workforce from the 1800- current Outline and Student Responsibilities Introduction: Our group will discuss how women in the past had limited working rights but over time laws and bills were passed that allowed women to grow in the workplace. However still today women are not treated as equals to their male counterparts. 1. 1800’s – Andrea McNett Before/ Early 1800s little to no rights and strictly housewives †¢ Industrial Revolution o Unmarried women worked in factories and moved to city o Caused women to delay marriage/ less children †¢ Women’s Rights o More Independent o Fought for equal wages ? Female Labor Reform Association in New England (1844) o Fought for education o Fought for voting †¢ The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) o Founded in 1840 o Mainly focused on women’s righ t to vote Branched into two subdivisions ? National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) ? American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) †¢ Susan B. Anothony 2. 1900-1950 – Hannah Reifer †¢ Employment in 1900 o Women only had 5% gainful employment outside of the household ? Woman self-imagine began to change †¢ Went from only wanting children and a husband to wanting to be employed o By 1910 this employment rate had increased to 11% †¢ Women in politics (voting rights) Also by 1910, only four states had equal women rights. ? These failures were partly due to people who believe that politics was no place for women †¢ Women’s Suffrage Amendment (1920) (NAWSA) o 19th amendment o Can’t base the write to vote off of sex †¢ The Great Depression (1930’s) o Prohibited married women to work ? Legislature passed in 26 states †¢ World War II (1939-1945) o Brought major change to women in the workforce o Men went to war o 6 million more w omen entered into the workforce o Some women didn’t want to work Rosie the Riveter â€Å"We Can Do It† was used as motivation o As soon as the war was over men returned to jobs women were laid off †¢ By 1947 women began to once again enter the workforce †¢ By 1950 31% of women in the United States were employed and working 3. 1950- 2000 – Laura Welker †¢ â€Å"Roots of the Revolution† (1950-1970’s) o Warning signs of a revolution, change in women’s expectations of employment †¢ Women began to see themselves as going to college and perhaps even graduate school o Working mothers and wives was slowly becoming more common †¢ â€Å"Quiet Revolution† (1970-2000’s) Woman enrollment in colleges and grad schools increased dramatically o Women began to studying fields men were typically professionalized in such as medicine, law and dentistry †¢ More women were now expected to go to college and join the workf orce by age 35, where in the past women were supposed to be in the home and raise the children 4. 2000’s – Janelle Maskulka †¢ Almost half of the workforce today is made up of women (46%) †¢ Major women in the workforce today o Oprah o Condoleezza Rice o Hillary Clinton †¢ Major changes since 1900’s o Bypassing men in management positions Staying with employers longer than men †¢ However, men still continue to make more money o . 76% higher wages than women Conclusion: (Group collaboration/ Input of tying up loose ends) Over time and history women have worked hard to gain rights in and out of the workforce. If we continue to work in the same direction and gain more and more rights we will see more results such as equal pay compared to men, more women in the management and CEO positions, in turn breaking the glass ceiling and the barrier between men and women in the workforce, which is the overall goal.