What Are The Disadvantages Of The New Deal To Women

The New Deal also failed to deliver lasting benefits to women. During the 1930s, women were often portrayed simply as housewives or mothers. In 1930, only 24% of women were recorded as being in employment , with many being paid less than their male counterparts. The New Deal did little to promote equal pay. Indeed, the policy of giving women lower wages than men was enshrined within the NRA. Even after the later stages of The New Deal had been implemented, figures from 1937 show that the average annual pay for women was $525 compared to $1,027 for men . Pay inequality left women and their dependent families disadvantaged and vulnerable to economic hardships for decades to come.
While New Deal legislation, in theory, provided support for both male and female workers, unemployed women were often discriminated against. For instance, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) employed 4 million unemployed people during the winter of 1934, however many of the projects were deemed unsuitable for women and in total the CWA only employed 300,00 women . Similarly, although the WPA had projects for women, many women experienced difficulties accessing such schemes. In order to
qualify for a relief job, women had to be classed as economic heads of households. Any woman with a physically able husband could not qualify as men were automatically considered heads of households, even if they themselves were unable to find a job. Young women also did not benefit from the same New Deal measures as young men. Women were not permitted in the CCC and whilst Eleanor Roosevelt did create a female equivalent called ‘She-She-She camps’, these were unsuccessful, only serving 8,500 people . This failure was significant as it meant that many young women did not receive the same opportunities as young men their age.
However, the 1930s did lead to some real political gains for women.
The expansion of social welfare services, a field dominated by professional women, led to the appointment of women to important roles within the federal government. For example, Frances Perkins became the Secretary of Labour and the first female cabinet minister and Ruth Bryan Owen became the first female ambassador. This period also saw the first woman director of the mint and the first woman judge of the Court of Appeals. This advance in women’s influence within government, whilst short lived (it would not be matched again until the 1990s) played a significant role in increasing the number of women getting involved in politics, particularly within the Democratic Party, who in 2016 nominated their first woman candidate for US
president.
Fundamentally, The New Deal failed to significantly enhance the lives of American women in practical terms. Whilst women employed in the higher echelons of government were able to succeed under the New Deal, the everyday working woman did not receive the same opportunities.