Nick Waithaka Muhiu

Impact of the 19th Amendment to Working Women [Author Name(s), First M. Last, Omit Titles and Degrees] [Institutional Affiliation(s)] Abstract The 19th Amendment granted American women not only the rights to vote but also rights to economic freedom, empowerment of themselves and their families, and equality in their communities. These rights affected the women working class significantly; it led to progress in women lives. The increased employment, better wages, education, recognition and protection from abuse are some of the rights that women who were working enjoyed. The amendment allowed women to build the great United States of America it is today. Impact of the 19th Amendment to Working Women Women before the 19th Amendment had minimal rights; they were supposed to keep out of public life and remain subordinates to the men. The belief at the time was that men and women roles do not mix, the belief was called the separate spheres idea. Thus women ought to concern themselves with only children, religion and cleaning as men take up political and business roles (Benner, 2004). This allowed abuse and neglect of women to occur. In 1848 the movement for women’s rights started to demand better recognition of women’s rights on a national level during the Seneca Falls Convention, and one of the major rights they demanded is a right to vote (History Staff, 2010). When the amendment was passed women noted the growth in their employment, salaries, policies for women equality and leadership. This paper will look at how the 19 Amendment was significant to women workplaces. The first notable change was that women could get employed anywhere. The earlier laws limited women to work only in the service industry and their wages were low. More so, women could not own or inherit property and women were told to marry as a way of ensuring economic security (Williamson, 2013). The amendment led to the increase of employment in women as such laws were scrubbed off allowing women to get jobs anywhere and their wages improved. The amendment led to the economic freedom of women who now had a voice that equaled that of men in the financial world. The 19th Amendment allowed women to vote which was a victory for the movement for women’s rights movement. The right to vote permitted women to vote in progressive policymakers who created policies that helped women. Policies passed between- led to considerable economic gain by the women such as allowing women to get a higher education and increased salaries. On August 26, 1920, 30 million women had their citizenship confirmed (Williamson, 2013). All these helped the women in the workplace be treated equally and be seen as respectable members of the society The third impact was on women’s reproduction. The past laws stated having children was part of the marriage contract (Williamson, 2013). The right to vote allowed women to vote in policymakers who improved the state of women reproduction by allowing birth control to be made affordable and available for women. Research has shown that controlled childbearing led to increased rates of education and working time for women (Adam Sonfield, 2013). This allowed women to have more extended working periods and as they had time to enroll in university and graduate they could take higher paying jobs in the market. The NC State University in 1926 decreed that “A woman who finalizes work for a degree offered by the institute can be graduated” (Benner, 2004). The amendment had led to this decree and instigated women education in the USA. The fourth factor that the amendment had changed in the women workplace was racial equality. The African American women worked tirelessly to ensure the women's rights was equally for all races and genders in the country to ensure they and the black men were covered by the amendment. The majority of the African American were given suffrage in name only and had to continue fighting for their rights to vote (Williamson, 2013). Nonetheless, this was a great leap forward as these small steps contributed to complete recognition of African Americans and helped the African American women gain a little improvement in their working conditions. The 19th Amendment also increased the confidence and self-esteem of women in their workplaces. The changes that occurred allowed women to shine in education and wage earning. This gave women a more prominent role in the community that impacted the sense of greater responsibility in them. This saw women being given managerial roles such as Nellie Taylor Ross being elected 14th Governor of Wyoming in 1925 (Benner, 2004). This high status led to women displaying their confidence and success in clothing. Between 1920 and 1930 there was a dramatic change in the dressing of women. They started to wear shorter skirts that came with flesh-colored stockings worn with decorated shoes, and their hair was cut short and covered by cloche huts (Benner, 2004). In conclusion, the 19th Amendment was the greatest gift for women. The women activists had fought long and hard to give women a voice. The amendment led to profound changes in women workplace as employment increased, increased wages, improved education, and women given bigger managerial roles. The amendment may not have favored all women of all races but still was a great achievement for all women who could now enjoy economic security and freedom and build a name for themselves. Therefore, it is clear that the amendment led to the progress of women in workplaces and helped make the USA into a great country of equality it is today. References Adam Sonfield, K. H. (2013). The Social and Economic Benefits of Women’s Ability To Determine Whether and When to Have Children. Chicago: Guttmacher Institute. Benner, L. (2004). Women in the 1920s in North Carolina. Tar Heel Junior Historian, 1-4. History Staff. (2010). 19th Amendment. Retrieved from History.com: http://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/19th-amendment Williamson, H. (2013, August 26). Women’s Equality Day: Celebrating the 19th Amendment’s Impact on Reproductive Health and Rights. Retrieved from Center for American Progress: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/news/2013/08/26/72988/womens-equality-day-celebrating-the-19th-amendments-impact-on-reproductive-health-and-rights/