Societal+Impact+of+Typewriters

=Societal Impact of Typewriters=

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Changes in Family Dynamics
This section explores men and women’s roles in family life leading up to the entrance of women into the workplace, and how this shift has altered family dynamics.

Pre-modern Gender Roles in Family
Cultural beliefs and practices regarding male and female natures existed in the United States even before the Civil War. The notion of separate spheres was in place, which highlighted the glorification of motherhood and the woman’s role in the home. Oppositely, the separate spheres approach emphasized the importance of men as the primary breadwinner. Some argue that even then, ideologies did not align with reality, as the necessity of women working outside of the home existed. This was especially true in lower or working class families, but was not explicitly addressed until later[10].

Modernity in Family Life
Family life has noticeably changed since women have forcefully entered the workplace. The shift can be described as the noticeable division between kinship and other aspects of life. Kinship has become separate from economic, political and social life. Each of these aspects of one’s lives can benefit from strong kinship ties, but no longer depend on them. The nuclear family remains the basic unit of domestic function, but home and work spaces are kept fairly separate. Additionally, individual geographic and social mobility has become based on merit instead of kin, tying into the emphasis placed on individualism over the family unit[11].

Another prominent development in family life is the emphasis placed on emotional fulfillment in family settings. An individualistic goal, this can be seen in the importance placed on the romantic relationship between husbands and wives and the focus on emotional and psychological childhood development.

Causes Changing Family Life
There are several possible explanations for the shift in family life surrounding the emergence of the typewriter. For example, the importance of an agrarian economy shifts to that of a commercial and industrial character during this time, further leading to the necessity of work outside the home. Additionally, political movements during this time argue the importance of the individual and, consequently, require rebellion against patriarchal authority[11].

Roles of Women Before WWII
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the stereotypical role of women was in the kitchen. They were expected to raise the children, clean, and cook. Single women took jobs as teachers and nurses until they found a husband. They did not even have the right to vote until 1920. Even with suffrage, however, they still seemed to not have a complete independent opinion. Many women, it seemed, chose to vote the ways of their fathers and husbands[12].

At the turn of the century, there was a high demand for secretaries as businesses developed more and more paperwork due to industrial expansion. More paperwork demanded a faster process for creating documents. The typewriter helped fill this demand. Although the typewriter was invented before this time, it had just recently become practical. Before, it took longer to write on a typewriter then by hand. With advances in technology, the typewriter became more efficient. These improvements in the typewriter, making it more practical, helped businesses process the paperwork faster. Typewriters quickly became the essential machine of any office. Since typewriters were recently new to the office, it had not yet established a “masculine” label, making it easier for women to enter typewriting professions without any preceding stereotypes. Although clerks and stenographers had been mainly a boy’s job, women soon started to take over the field. In 1870, the top five occupations for women were: (1) domestic servants, (2) agricultural laborers, (3) tailoresses and seamstresses, (4) milliners, dress, and mantua makers, and (5) teachers. In 1940, the top five occupations were: (1) housekeepers (private family), (2) trained nurses and student nurses, (3) stenographers, typists, and secretaries, (4) servants (private family), and (5) operatives, apparel and accessories[13].

In the beginning of the 1900s, the number of women working as office clerks began to rise, from 7.4% in 1900 to 35.4% in 1930. These rises of women at work have led some analysts to believe that the invention of the typewriter was responsible for opening jobs to women. A pamphlet by the Women’s Bureau of the United States Department of Labor emphasizes that “not only… has the typewriter revolutionized modern business methods but it has created an occupation calling for more women than have been employed as a result of any other invention. However, this might be too bold of statement, especially since it was observed that women’s employment of rising at the turn of the century in other occupations as well. It is probably more practical to state that the typewriter helped ease women into the office. The typewriter was such a new machine that it had yet to be dubbed as masculine and therefore, women did not have to face sexist arguments that typing was a man’s job[12].

The years of the Great Depression hurt women’s advancements in the workplace. Women were the first to be laid off. Since they were not considered the traditional breadwinner of the family, their positions were given to men who needed them. The ones who suffered the most were the single women who did not have a husband to rely on[12].

Roles of Women During WWII
When men went off to war, women filled men’s roles in the workplace. However, they were exposed to more then just office jobs; they were introduced to other areas of work as well, such as factory work. They were an essential part of the war because they helped in the production and manufacturing of weapons as well as consumer goods. The government used propaganda to help recruit women into these positions. With women entering new and various fields, the typewriter, although still a valuable tool in the office and for the war, did not have much affect for women. The war itself helped women during this time period, not the typewriter. Women were not all concentrated in the clerical/stenographer profession; their opportunities were expanded to other roles that were not traditionally female.

Right before the United States entered the war, women made up 26% of the work force, 21% of those women had clerical duties. In 1945, around the time the war was ending, women made up 36% of the workforce with 25% having clerical duties[13].

Roles of Women After WWII
When the men came home from war, society tried to push women back into the home. Many women did retreat back into the kitchen, however many also felt a sense of remorse having to go back to the “housewife” role. Their experience outside the home gave them a sense of freedom and independence. With men taking back their positions, and thus kicking women out of jobs, clerical/stenographer work (which heavily relied on the typewriter) became in high demand for women again, especially since it had been, by this time, labeled a female profession.

In 1946, just after the war ended, clerical work was one of the highest paying, nonprofessional work for women. The median year’s earnings for women were $1,480. In 1947, women made up 28% of the workforce with 26% of those women having clerical duties. The change in number from 1940 to 1947 for clerical occupations was +63.25%. The change in number from 1940 to 1947 for domestic service occupations was -19.5%. In 1950, out of the 17 million women in the working force, 27.8% held clerical occupations, the highest percent[13]. In 1981, out of the 42 million women in the workforce, 34.7 % held clerical occupations, still the highest. Women held 80.5% of all clerical jobs available in 1981. These numbers describe the importance of clerical work in the office and how this profession has helped women enter the working field and gain a sense of independence from their husbands. This profession is heavily dependent on the typewriter. Because of its dependence, the typewriter had an indirect role in helping women enter the working field[4].

Typewriters helped ease women into office jobs. Throughout the beginning of the 20th century it created jobs for women. During World War II it had little affect for women, as they were exposed to other jobs, like factory work, that did not require the use of a typewriter. After the war, when society wanted to push them back into the house, the still high-demanded clerical jobs were available for women. Since the typewriter had a strong influence in these clerical jobs, the typewriter allowed for these jobs to be available. However, when new advanced technologies would come along, like the computer, the demise of the typewriter would force the women to fight for their rights without help.