New
New
Year 11
AQA

Women and the 'boom' in 1920s America

I can evaluate the changing role of women in the USA during the 1920s.

New
New
Year 11
AQA

Women and the 'boom' in 1920s America

I can evaluate the changing role of women in the USA during the 1920s.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Women were enfranchised in 1920 but enjoyed limited gains form this in the 1920s.
  2. Opportunities for women to work increased.
  3. Women's work was usually less skilled and lower-paying than men's.
  4. Many women enjoyed new social freedoms, especially flappers.
  5. Not all women were equally able, or willing, to enjoy new social freedoms.

Keywords

  • Enfranchised - a person is enfranchised if they have been given the right to vote in elections

  • Congress - the elected group of politicians who make laws for the USA are referred to as Congress

  • Contraceptive - any type of device or drug used to try and prevent pregnancy is described as a contraceptive

  • Flapper - a flapper was a young woman who followed new fashion trends and acted independently

Common misconception

All women in the USA experienced changes in the same way during the 1920s.

The ways in which women experienced changes often differed depending on factors such as race, wealth and location.

Present students with 2/3 individuals from the 1920s (i.e. Clara Bow, Mae Nolan, Mary McLeod Bethune). Encourage students to identify where the experiences of these women was similar and differed. Push students to attempt explaining some differences.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sexual content

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Write the missing word. If something is , it is brought into a country illegally
Correct Answer: smuggled, Smuggled
Q2.
What type of career did Al Capone have?
baseball player
Correct answer: gangster
movie star
politician
Q3.
How many Americans went to the cinema weekly by 1930?
50 000
Correct answer: 100 000
200 000
400 000
Q4.
What was the star system?
method for broadcasting sports
Correct answer: method for promoting films
method for smuggling alcohol
Q5.
What became more common as a direct result of Prohibition?
baseball
Correct answer: speakeasies
talkies
Q6.
What does the increase in speakeasies suggest about Prohibition?
Prohibition had little impact on ordinary Americans
Prohibition led to a rise in violent crime
Correct answer: Prohibition was not respected by many Americans
Correct answer: Prohibition was not successful

6 Questions

Q1.
Match each of the keywords to their correct definitions.
Correct Answer:Congress,elected group of politicians who make laws for the USA

elected group of politicians who make laws for the USA

Correct Answer:contraception,devices or drugs used to try and prevent pregnancy

devices or drugs used to try and prevent pregnancy

Correct Answer:enfranchised,having the right to vote in elections

having the right to vote in elections

Correct Answer:flappers,young women who acted independently during the 1920s

young women who acted independently during the 1920s

Q2.
In which region of the USA were the majority of African American women still prevented from voting after 1920?
North
East
Correct answer: South
West
Q3.
The typical male cotton weaver in 1920 was paid $29 per week. How much was a typical female weaver paid per week?
$20
Correct answer: $26
$29
$32
$38
Q4.
Which professional jobs were most common for women to work in during the 1920s?
accountancy
dentistry
Correct answer: nursing
Correct answer: teaching
Q5.
How did contraception affect female relationships during the 1920s?
Correct answer: some women were willing to have more sexual relationships
some women decided to have less sexual relationships
most women refused to use or support contraception so it had no effect
Correct answer: some women were willing to have sexual relationships outside of marriage
all women continued to only have sexual relationships when married
Q6.
Which group did the President of Florida University accuse of "carrying the present generation to destruction"?
female politcians
female workers
Correct answer: flappers
opponents of contraception

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