Question

What event during this time may have sparked this newfound independence of women and ushered in an ear of adopting more modern societal values

Answer 1

The independence of women after World War I was fueled by societal changes and the war's impact on gender roles. Advances in household technology, birth control information, and women's increased engagement in society and politics, particularly the suffrage movement, contributed to this shift. The 1920s solidified these changes with the emergence of the 'New Woman' who embraced freedom and new societal values.

Step-by-step explanation:

The event that may have sparked the newfound independence of women and ushered in an era of adopting more modern societal values was World War I. The war served as a catalyst for societal change, where women took on roles traditionally held by men, such as operating factory machinery, making financial decisions, and running farms and businesses, as men went to fight. With men away, women experienced a new sense of freedom and responsibility which continued even after the war's end.

Following World War I, women began to reject their pre-war roles and the culture of domesticity that confined them to home and domestic chores. Advancements such as the spread of household technologies, ready-made clothes, and canned foods, as well as the establishment of public agencies and the greater availability of information about birth control from organizations like the American Birth Control League founded in 1921 by Margaret Sanger, considerably changed women's daily lives. These changes allowed women more time to engage in education, community issues, and employment outside the home, leading to increased activism, especially in movements such as the women's suffrage movement, and eventually to greater equality in marriage and society.

As the nation recovered from World War I, the 1920s brought about a cultural shift with the emergence of the "New Woman," who defied traditional gender roles by working, studying, and participating in public life like never before. This period saw women expressing their independence through actions such as adopting freer styles of dress, dancing, and drinking in public, as well as exercising their fuller citizenship and societal roles in the aftermath of the war.

Answer 2

The 1920s marked the beginning of an unprecedented era of freedom for women. Not only did they gain the right to vote in 1920, but women also began to play a more active role in sports, social life and even the workplace. In accordance with their changing roles in society, women adopted new fashions that permitted them more freedom of movement than the tight-laced Victorian and Edwardian garments they had previously worn.

Undergarments and Hosiery

The revolution in women's garments began from the inside out as women discarded corsets in favor of the new brassieres. Bulky knickers and long drawers were replaced by more comfortable bloomers, which later evolved into panties as the decade progressed. Stockings, which had formerly been heavy black wool, were now beige in color and made of lightweight rayon and silk. Shorter hemlines which displayed the leg up to the knee led to the manufacture of patterned stockings with fancy embroidery, meant to be seen.

Sportswear and Bathing Suits

Women in the 1920s increasingly participated in active sports, and new types of sportswear were designed to better accommodate their needs. Lady golfers were outfitted in pleated, knee-length skirts, while tennis players wore slim-fitting, lightweight dresses. Women also adopted certain items of menswear for outdoor activities, such as plaid wool lumberjack shirts, knickers and Fair Isle sweaters. Women bathers snapped up the new form-fitting, stretch knit swimsuits, and several manufacturers who got their start at this time -- Catalina, Cole and Jantzen -- are still big names in today's swimwear industry.

Step-by-step explanation: