My name is Martha Anne. I am 32 years old and live in Virginia. My husband James recently lost his job at the automotive shop. We are not poor, but we are barely passing as middle class.
The New Deal affected me in many ways. Up until the Depression, I had stayed at home and cared for my children while my husband worked. But after the economy started decreasing and especially when James lost his job, I began looking for work. I had heard about the "New Deal" but didn't care much for politics. But after talking to my friend Sally, who had got a job as a telephone oporator, I began to learn more and more about this Deal. I found out that it alone did not do much for women like myself and mostly provided work for men. Through the Civilian Conservation Corps, my husband began work on the Blue Ridge Parkway in 1936. I talked with local officials and eventually found myself working in a textile factory. The pay wasn't much, but I am thankful for the WPA for helping me find a job to better suppoer my family.
I personally wish that this "New Deal" would deal more with women, but I guess society is still sexist. Hopefully in a few decades women will be able to have equal job opportunities as men. But I am very supportive of the New Deal.
Yours truly,
Martha Anne Winscott
I thought ths was very interestng that you chose to take a woman's standpoint, but this was very well written. I think the "New Deal" benefitted women in ways that you did not consider though. Even though women were forced to take low paying jobs, the number of employed women rose which helped women in their mssion to become equal to men. They were still subject to discrimination, but they got their foot in the door and men realized that they were a stronger influence in the economy than they thought.
ReplyDeletethis was written by Olivia, the website is being all screwy and won't let me sign in to my account
your society has made you a second class citezen.
ReplyDeleteall mankind is created equal, by right.
sexism is imoral.
you do not deserve any thing less than a the fullness of society and the new deal has consistently failed to apreaceate women.
dont you think that a more powerfull solution could easily be found?
the new deal also gave women many government jobs including Frances Perkins becoming the first woman to serve in the president’s cabinet. She was appointed Secretary of Labor. Also Elanor Roosevelt was very influential in hiring qualified women.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I gathered in your post, you suggested that women should have gotten more rights during the the New Deal.
ReplyDeleteHowever, women had limited views on what they even wanted and most women followed their husbands ideas anyway.
So basically they should have more rights even if they're going to follow their husbands?
although the New Deal didn't do much for women, it was still a step up from what they had really. Before the New Deal, little to no women were accepted in the work field. During the New Deal, government officils had no choice but to let women work because the men were recruited through the CCC. However, there was still the wage differences and sexism still in play which i guess could be a reason why there wasn't much difference in the woman's way of life.
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