WHEN IS FEMINISM N T FEMINISM?
Women and Politics in the US Under the New Deal
Library of Congress
By Frances Hawkins, Grade 12 student
This paper provides a condensed summary of the research conducted by Grade 12 student Frances Hawkins for her Extended Essay. The Extended Essay is one of the key components of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Frances will be attending the University of Oxford this fall to pursue a degree in anthropology.
The idea of feminism has been controversial since the term itself was first used in the late 19th century. Competing factions of feminists exist: some believe in equal rights and equal opportunity for all; others that, since men and women are inherently different,“ equal but different” rights and opportunities are appropriate.
Feminist activism has long been disturbing to many. During the height of the Great Depression, groups of hostile housewives staged a stream of protests across the country. These protests could become militant and often involved cases of vandalism. The radical behaviour of suffragettes in Britain in the 1920’ s was still fresh in the minds of many. Thus, many women who might have otherwise identified as feminist avoided the label and connection with the movement. Women in the political realm especially avoided this label, as even a weak link to the image of belligerent housewives or radical suffragettes could have had a damaging effect on their public perception.
The New Deal After his election in 1933, President Franklin D Roosevelt introduced the New Deal, a slate of laws, presidential executive orders, and public works programmes meant to ameliorate the effects of the Great Depression. It was in this new atmosphere of change that women were able to move to the fore in politics to address their“ feminist aspirations” and to work as important members of the New Deal. By Emily Newell Blair’ s definition, a feminist is a woman who“ whether she calls herself a feminist or not, wants to make it easier for women to contend with men in politics.”
12