During the Great Depression, women adopted expanded roles both inside and outside the home to help their families survive the economic crisis. While more women entered the paid workforce and found new ways to stretch household budgets, they also faced significant discrimination, lower wages, and increased domestic pressures.
Background
The Great Depression (1929–1939) caused severe social dislocation across the Americas.
Economic collapse led to mass unemployment, declining exports, and widespread poverty.
Beyond the economic effects, it transformed gender roles, heightened racial inequalities, and reshaped cultural expression.
Governments increasingly turned to populism and state intervention to address discontent.
Impact on Women
As men lost jobs, women entered the workforce in growing numbers, especially in clerical, teaching, and textile sectors.
In the United States, women faced discrimination. They were paid less, excluded from unions, and often blamed for “taking men’s jobs.”
The crisis led to the feminization of poverty i.e. the growing economic vulnerability of women as household providers and low-wage earners.
In Latin America, middle-class women expanded into public roles through welfare programs, teaching, and community organizations.
Example: In Argentina and Brazil, female participation in social work and education increased, laying foundations for later political activism.
The feminization of poverty is the phenomenon in which women represent a disproportionately high percentage of the world's poor, a trend driven and exacerbated by systemic gender inequality. Women experience poverty at higher rates and with greater severity than men, with their economic vulnerability linked to social, political, and economic barriers
Impact on Minorities
Minorities faced intensified hardship and exclusion from relief programs.
In the U.S., African Americans suffered disproportionately. Unemployment for Black workers doubled that of whites.
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What was the Great Depression?
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Note
The The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic downturn that lasted from 1929 to 1939. It began with the stock market crash in October 1929 and quickly spread across the globe, affecting both industrialized and non-industrialized nations.
The economic collapse led to mass unemployment, with rates reaching up to 25% in some countries
Declining exports and widespread poverty became common as international trade plummeted
The crisis forced governments to adopt new economic policies and social programs
Analogy
Think of the Great Depression as a domino effect - when one major economy fell, it caused a chain reaction that affected countries worldwide.
Note
The Great Depression was not just an economic crisis; it also had profound social and cultural impacts that reshaped societies across the Americas.
