Because the average ideal of men during that time period was as the "breadwinners" of the house, many men suffered from self-esteem issues and insecurities, since women were holding a larger role. If they couldn't provide for their families, it fell to the women to keep the family going. Men were hit psychologically harder than the women during the 1930’s since their families depended on them, they felt humiliated to ask for help to support his family and of their inability to fulfill the most noted male gender role.
Thousands of men travelled the country alone in search of work, hitching rides on trucks or travelling on the railways and sleeping rough if they had to. Farmers especially were forced to do this as they had lost their land and had become migrant workers. Many men (if they were lucky enough to have a job) were forced to work in manual labor or as railway workers, which were seen as “black men’s jobs”. They also blamed women for taking jobs away from men during this time period. Men were desperate for work and itching to provide for their families again. And even if they were working they received very little pay which wasn’t enough to support their families.
The typical American woman during the 1930’s was shown in the world as a housewife, they were portrayed as women happy to stay home, clean and care for the children. They were typically seen as women who were very well dressed to do house hold chores and