The 1920s were a decisive decade for women in law, customs and culture. They marked a turning point compared with the whole of the millennia of history that came before.
Laws:
- Women's suffrage began in South Australia in 1902 and in Switzerland in 1907, spreading across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa in the following decades.
- The patriarchal family, with the wife acting solely as mother and housewife, was the norm. The wife was subordinate to her husband. He could mistreat and even kill his wife, claiming it was a crime of passion with major mitigating circumstances. Parental authority was held by the father, regarded as head of the family. A distinction was made between children born in wedlock, or legitimate, and those born out of wedlock, or illegitimate.
- Adultery was punishable by prison, and divorce was legal in some countries, especially in the West, although it only benefited upper-class women, who won their freedom, since middle- and lower-class women were left after divorce with no financial means to survive and with the burden of caring for children and older relatives.
Customs
- In the first decade, fashion meant ankle-length skirts for women; in the second they became noticeably shorter, in search of comfort and moving away from the corset and the extremely tight-fitting dress. There was a marked difference between work clothes and Sunday best, worn to go to Mass, visit family or attend a cultural show. Women wore hats and veils in Catholic churches. After a relative's death, mourning dress was worn, especially by women, and parties were avoided.
- Life expectancy was forty years for men and women, slightly lower for women, decimated by deaths in childbirth and widespread anaemia.
- Illiteracy was high in the population, especially among women. The first women at university had to ask deans and professors for permission to attend class, barely spoke to their fellow students and were very few in number.
- Female virginity until marriage was the norm, and single mothers were marginalised. Prostitutes had no rights at all.
- Some women, single or widowed, worked in factories, shops, schools and hospitals, and also in factories during the wars, replacing men in the production of weapons and food. The rest worked at home without pay, caring for children, the elderly and the sick. Marriage was women's goal as a means of making a living.
- The work of women writers, artists, philosophers and educators throughout history went unrecognised, with a few exceptions, their merits being attributed to their husbands or simply silenced.
- In much of the world, women have taken on the responsibility of carrying water home from the well, sometimes very far away, for as long as anyone can remember.
By the beginning of the 21st century, social progress for women was enormous, notably:
Laws:
- Women's suffrage is worldwide, and some women have become or are prime ministers of their countries. Women are as eligible for Parliament as men. In the West it is common for electoral lists to alternate: man, woman, man.
- The patriarchal family has toned down its manifestations. The abuse and murder of women at the hands of their husbands is very high, but the legal penalty is severe. All children are legitimate. There are many families made up solely of the mother and her children under age. Parental authority is shared between father and mother. The wife is not subordinate to her husband.
- Laws against gender-based violence have spread to a great many countries. Sexist murders are counted and published. 8 March has been established as Women's Day and 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, with public demonstrations by thousands upon thousands of women.
- Women take it for granted that they must work to live, and employment laws protect pregnancy and maternity. Widows' pensions have given way to women's retirement pensions, although women's pay is, on average, much lower than men's, and so are their pensions.
- In the aristocracy, the noble title is inherited by the first-born child, whether male or female.
- Contraceptives have become widespread and legal. Abortion is legal in much of the world.
- Adultery is no longer a criminal offence and divorce is legal in almost every country.
Customs:
- Daily hygiene and cellulose revolutionised women's lives, as tampons and pads allowed them to play sport without problems, go out to work comfortably and, in short, do away with age-old taboos about menstruation.
- Women's fashion has also moved towards trousers, short or long, trainers, the bikini, and the white coat of the health worker or teacher at work. Hats are hardly worn and dress length is a matter of choice. Mourning dress is no longer worn. Work clothes and party clothes are very similar, and there is hardly any difference between upper-class and lower-class fashion. Fabrics are soft and comfortable, washable and practical, and embroidery, buttons and bows are avoided.
- In most countries of the world, all girls must go to school, just like boys. University opens every door to women, although women rectors, heads of large companies or prime ministers are still in the minority.
- Equality between men and women is a general goal, although the gender pay gap is still very large.
- Life expectancy has doubled in a century and is higher for women (84) than for men (81)
- Shared responsibility for housework and the balance between family and working life are gradually taking hold in every family and couple, driven by women's great determination and by men's slower awareness.
- Feminism is institutional and being sexist is frowned upon, considered backward. However, patriarchal attitudes have not been eliminated. Divorce is very common, as are changing relationships, since, at least in cities, no one judges women who start and end different relationships.
- There are hardly any illiterate women in Western countries, but there are on other continents. Always more than illiterate men.
- Socially, female virginity is no longer encouraged in the West either. Religion is another matter.
- Historical women writers and artists are recognised, and women visibly work in all kinds of professions, including those always considered men's: soldiers, judges, professors, journalists, footballers, miners, police officers, ministers...
- Prostitutes have the same rights as all other citizens and do not live on the margins.
- Running water, hot and cold, is common in almost every country, something essential for hygiene, progress and longer life expectancy.
We can see, then, that historically the arrival of industrialisation and the labour movement, the growth of cities, and the advances in medicine and hygiene of the early 20th century brought exponential progress for civilisation, markedly improving the lives of its members, women included, but the arrival of the 21st century gave it the ultimate boost:
- girls became visible,
- schooling truly became universal,
- human rights protect men and women, including the rights to paid work, to demonstrate and to free expression.
From now on, by leaps and bounds, we will advance through another century towards the outstanding issues of:
- work-life balance and sharing of household tasks and family care,
- of equal pay,
- of gender-balanced political and workplace hierarchies, in a word,
- of recognition of women's rights.
Teresa Alvarez Olías
Writer, Nationale Nederlanden insurance agent and ING mortgage advisor