Women’s rights in the 1920s

By : Crystal Flores and Hansel

    Women’s rights in the 1920s was significantly important to the women all across the world. Women were not given the same rights as men previous to the decade. The 1920s gave women hope and realization that one day they would be equal to the common male. All of these events helped prove that everyone was created equal. The key event that sparked the women’s movement to thrive was the 19^th amendment.

    The 19^th amendment was signed in by secretary of state Bainbridge Colby on August 26, 1920. It was a enormous victory for women gaining the right to vote. Women were also given the right to own property themselves for the first time . Change was brought on by this decade. Women even started gaining a higher sense of fashion for themselves creating what is known now as Flappers. Flappers were young women who sought out to change just as the 1920s had changed women’s rights. During this time women saw an increase in the work force for them. The rates of women working in offices and as secretaries rose in these years.

    Change wasn’t just happening in the united states it was occurring around the world as well. In Great Britain an act was passed in 1923 that meant when a married couple divorced both were looked at as equals no one was inferior to the other making it a large stepping stone for women. A big question was brought up in Canada by “The Valiant Five” five women by the names of Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louis McKinney and Henrietta Edwars. They asked the supreme court of Canada: “Are women persons?” The supreme court of Canada decided that the word persons did not include women. It was a shockwave to the women so they brought the question to the Privy Council in England(Canada’s highest court). They then decided that the word did include women. It was huge in proving that women were equivalent to men.