jan 1, 1936 - Poll on women in the workforce

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Because policymakers primarily understood the depression as a crisis for male breadwinners, the New Deal did not directly challenge gender inequities. Its reforms generally enhanced women’s welfare, but few addressed their specific needs and concerns. Roosevelt did bring women into the ranks of government in unprecedented numbers. Frances Perkins, the first woman to fill a cabinet post, served as secretary of labor throughout Roosevelt’s presidency, and Josephine Roche served as assistant secretary of the treasury during his first term. The president also appointed the first female U.S. ambassador and the first women to the U.S. Court of Appeals. While still relatively few in number, female appointees in the New Deal era often opened up opportunities in government for other talented women.

The most prominent female figure in American politics proved to be Eleanor Roosevelt. Even before becoming First Lady, she had tirelessly worked to expand positions for women in political parties, labor unions, and education. During her years in the White House, Mrs. Roosevelt emerged as an independent public figure and the most influential First Lady in the nation’s history up to that time. Descending into coal mines to view working conditions, meeting with African Americans seeking antilynching laws, and listening to hungry Americans on breadlines, she became the conscience of the New Deal, pushing her husband to do more for the disadvantaged. “I sometimes acted as a spur,” Mrs. Roosevelt later reflected, “even though the spurring was not always wanted or welcome.”

Even with the contributions of Eleanor Roosevelt, Frances Perkins, and other prominent women, New Deal policymakers often ignored the needs of women. Many of the National Recovery Act’s employment rules set a lower minimum wage for women than for men performing the same jobs, and only 7 percent of the workers hired by the Civil Works Administration were female. The Civilian Conservation Corps excluded women entirely. Women fared better under the Works Progress Administration; at its peak, 440,000 women were on the payroll. Most Americans agreed with such policies. A 1936 Gallup poll asked whether wives should work outside the home when their husbands had jobs, and 82 percent of those surveyed said no. Such sentiment reflected a persistent belief in women’s subordinate economic status.

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