For centuries they had lived in blatant inferiority to their male counterparts, often viewed as property of their husbands. Men thought that women were created by God to stay in their “Cult of Domesticity” and revolve their lives around domestic issues and family. Therefore, women did not have many rights, could not vote, and were treated inferiorly in society. It wasn’t until the mid-19th century that women began to publicly show displeasure with this inferior social placement. The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, established a “Declaration of Sentiments,” with women vocalizing their complaints and declaring their desire for the right to vote (Rossi). The National American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Susan B. Anthony, was formed as well to fight for a suffrage amendment (Rossi). However, this all was not enough to convince men that women are responsible enough and capable of voting. Although African-Americans, another persecuted minority, were given suffrage in 1870, women were still restricted from the vote, and even more angered by it (Fifteenth). It was not until over 50 years later, at the culmination of World War I, that women were finally given the right they wanted so badly. Was this timing some coincidence, a sudden epiphany by the government? No, it was because men had finally seen women’s capability to contribute in society during the war, and that …show more content…
Women who preferred (or found it necessary to take) domestic jobs rationed their food, knitted socks and clothes for the military, and bought war bonds. There were also a plethora of women who embraced this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They filled in for men’s jobs while they were off at war, working as bank clerks, firefighters, police, and factory-workers. There were also those who served as war nurses, navy yeomen, and marines, in America and overseas. While there are not many statistics on the effect of women’s contributions to the war, one can assume that women made many positive contributions that played a part in the U.S. victory in the war, and it certainly opened women’s eyes to the outside working