Chapter 22-2: Critical Thinking # 3

How was what happened to men during the Great Depression different from what happened to women? children? Think About:

• each group's role in their families
• the changes each group had to make
• what help was available to them

During the Great Depression, men were effected differently compared to what happened to women and children. Men had such a hard time during the Great Depression because they were used to working ans supporting their family. Day by day men would have to go out and search for new jobs, even if they continually got turned down. Some men were under so much pressure and tension that they left their families. As a result to leaving their families, there were as many as 300, 000 "hoboes" around the country. These men would turn up at homeless shelters in big cities every so often. During this time the women worked to keep their families going. Many would can food and sew clothes. They also controlled their household budgets. Other than at home, women also worked outside the home, but they received less than men did. As the Great Depression continued, many people began to "attack" the role of women, saying that they shouldn't be working when there were men who couldn't even get jobs. Eventually, people began to refuse to hire women. What happened to men was different from what happened to women because men were seen begging in the streets and standing in lines to get bread, while women were portrayed as if they had it easier. Although, many women would "starve to death in cold attics and rooming houses" (pg.682). They had less of a chance now to get a job, for example as a schoolteacher. During the time of the Great Depression, what happened to children was different from men and women too. Many children suffered with poor diets and diet-related diseases. Their education was cut short because school boards shortened the school year due to falling tax revenues. Instead of going to school, children often worked in sweatshops. Also, teenagers who wanted to avoid the suffering found a way to get out of the country and look for jobs, usually jumping onto trains. Even though the people who jumped into trains were just teenagers, many were jailed, beaten, or eventually killed (adults were also included in this treatment.) As a result, even though men, women, and children all suffered during the Great Depression, they were very much different. They all were treated differently and suffered in their own ways.