How did the Great Depression Impact Women?

Answer 1

The great depression caused several upsets to the economical power and the social balance of Australia. Australia's government could no longer gain capital to ease the impacts of the great depression on the people nor could it borrow any more money from Britain. Unemployment rates soon flew high and people could not pay rents or get food for their families. They could not borrow from banks either because the banks also relied heavily upon overseas investment. Very quickly the economy fell and wages fell. The people who were still employed could not sustain the walk of life they originally had and were quickly put into poverty. Although the rich people before the great depression had no problems what-so-ever the middle and lower paid groups took the whole force of the great depression. During the hardest times of the great depression the state governments all introduced the 'susso' as it was called. The susso was a card which was a sort of currency which allowed the people to buy food. However the amount was also limited and some states such as Victoria had the people work for the susso cards. Apart from living standards dropping, school leavers had no more oppurtunities and many hardships were faced by the whole community. It was a very bad time for the economy of Australia and for the people of Australia during those times.

Answer 2

The Great Depression caused the Australian economy to collapse. As the price of primary produce decreased in world trade, many farmers became bankrupt and were evicted.

A lot of men with stable jobs suddenly became unemployed. This led to the breadwinner becoming humiliated as society had the expectation that it was a man's job to support his family. These unemployed men did relief work such as building sewerage and water systems for low pay to support their families.

Families who ran out of money had to get food through a sustenance payment program known as the "susso". Men had to queue to get bread, milk and other food items.

Some men were desperate enough to "jump to rattler", that is, jumping onto moving fright trains to find seasonal jobs in other parts of Australia. Others walked along roads for kilometers to search for jobs.

Families also had to live in shantytowns when they were evicted. These shantytowns were located at the edges of towns.

The pay rate for workers also dramatically decreased while rents and mortgage interests increased. This led to even more people becoming bankrupt.

The Australian government cut its sendings and tried to repay oversea loans during the Great Depression.

Answer 3

The Great Depression began in 1929 with the Wall Street Crash in October. The rate of unemployment, which was already high at 10% in mid 1929, became 21% bye mid 1930 and hit almost 32% in mid 1932, the peak of the Great Depression. Factory output fell almost 10% in 1929-1930 and another 30% in 1930-1931.

The great depression had different impacts on different classes of women. Married women carried a great domestic burden: home-making was still considered a woman's role, so even if the women of the house-hold worked all day to make some money, her unemployed husband would still expect her to keep the house in order, cook his dinner, and care for any of his needs.

Lower Class, or Working Class women had a very bad experience during the Great Depression. If they worked, many lost their jobs; the 1933 census showed 15% female unemployment (for men it was 26%) meaning that women had it hard too. If they lost their jobs, or the man who cared for them lost their jobs, they were faced with having to find food and other necessities. Many became malnourished from lack of food and water.

There was virtually no relief work available to women and the government help was also denied. Kent-Hughes, Victoria's Minister for Sustenance stated in 1932 that while domestic work was available at any wage, under any conditions, anywhere in the state, women without jobs would be denied public assistance.

Answer 4

The depression affected Australia because of its extreme dependence on exports from America. The Great Depression officially started in October 1929 when the stock marketcrashed in the United States. It is thought to be one of the hardest hit countries in the western world.

Answer 5

In Australia the Efffects were exports fell when Canada and Germany did not have enough money to import the products. Coal miners strikes lead to a big drop in the economy. What happened in America impacted in Australians lives for the worst. One year before the start of the recovery in Australia 29% of the population was unemployed. Hope it helps :)

Answer 6

Women of the great depression were virtually invisible, they were expected to stay in the domestic sphere and the depression was seen as an all male issue. Work was very scarce for any one, man or woman and women were not expected to do anything. Women were looked down upon because they took work away from men. Many single women, out of desperation and starvation, sought out prostitution as a way to survive.

Answer 7

During the Great Depression, women went through tough times. Women had to stretch family budgets to make ends meet. Also, employers gave preference to men when hiring workers. Women were not hired if their husband had a job. A more personal problem was that unemployed husbands needed a lot of nurturing to feel worthwhile. Women were impacted in many ways during the depression.

Answer 8

The great depression impacted on society in a number of ways; from social, psychological, and political impacts to city and rural life impacts. It was the longest and most severe economic depression ever experienced by the Western world.

The great depression saw a time of change on people's everyday lives and the struggle worsened. The most devastating impact of the Great Depression was human suffering. In a short period of time, world output and standards of living dropped rapidly. Some took their lives, increasing suicide rates across the board, and these times proved to become a mental challenge as much as an economic one. People couldn't afford trips to the doctor or dentist so many health issues rose as a lack of nutrition.

The great depression also paid a huge toll on relationships at the time. Women had to stop having children and their husbands were hardly home as they were forced to work long hours, or look for a job at all. It was a time when thousands of teens became drifters; many marriages were postponed and engagements were interminable; birth rates declined; and children grew up quickly, often taking on adult responsibilities if not the role of comforter to their despondent parents. It was a time when the number of women in the workplace actually increased, which helped needy families but only added to the psychological strain on the American male, the traditional "breadwinner" of the American family.

Answer 9

The New Deal Programs, set up by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, gave women many opportunities to lead some of the programs. Unfortunately, men still had higher wages and women were faced with discrimination and hostility. They were fired from jobs first and blamed for the high unemployment rate.