Final answer:
The New Deal offered mixed benefits for women and minorities. Women found opportunities in specific New Deal agencies like the WPA, but also faced systemic gender discrimination. Minorities saw some progress, with efforts to include African Americans in employment programs, despite persistent discrimination.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the New Deal era, benefits applied to women and minorities were influenced by the existing societal norms which often included gender and racial discrimination. For women, some New Deal agencies, like the Works Progress Administration (WPA), did provide opportunities for employment. The WPA hired specifically widows, single women, and the wives of disabled husbands, involving them in tasks such as sewing projects. However, many programs, including federal jobs, encouraged gender norms which favored male employment and kept women in domestic roles. The Economy Act of 1933, for instance, often resulted in married women being the first to be let go if their spouses worked for the government.
As for minorities, despite the intentions of some New Deal framers towards progressiveness, the actual administration of programs faced constraints from a society and system that tolerated racial and gender discrimination. Nevertheless, steps were taken to include African Americans in programs like the WPA, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and Public Works Administration (PWA) with quotas and employment opportunities. While these initiatives were imperfect and criticism for discrimination persisted, they represented some progress in addressing employment disparities. Eleanor Roosevelt and other leaders advocated for and secured work camps for young women, showing that there were continued efforts to address inherent gender biases in these programs.
Overall, while the New Deal did not completely overcome the racial and gender disparities of the time, it did lead to the employment of many women and minorities and allowed for the formation of the New Deal Coalition, which indicated some advancement in terms of social and economic opportunities for marginalized groups.