The first woman in Congress, Jeanette Rankin, was elected to the House of Representatives in 1917. The participation of women in American politics has increased substantially since that time. An important development occurred in 1920, when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. By granting women the right to vote, the Nineteenth Amendment provided an important step toward the increased political involvement of women. However, only a small percentage of American women were found in political office prior to the late twentieth century. In addition, female politicians generally lacked the level of power that was assumed by male politicians. Women politicians were not taken seriously and were said to be less capable than men in handling tough political issues. During World War II, when the majority of American men were fighting overseas, women showed that they were capable of doing the work that needed to be done to keep the nation running. This, in turn, suggested that women were capable of taking leadership positions in the political realm. This paper will address this issue by examining the changing roles that American women have played in politics in the years since World War II.
Although women proved their capabilities during the Second World War, they were forced back into subservient positions in the period immediately following the war. There were a few women in Congress and in the Presidential administration. However, the role of these women in politics was deemphasized in the articles that appeared in newspapers and popular magazines. It was generally argued, among women as well as men, that politics was a job that was suitable only for men (Weatherford 316). The situation began to change in the 1960s, during the time of the Civil Rights movement and the protests that were being made against the Vietnam War. A growing number of women became involved in feminism and participated in "consciousness-raising groups" (Hunter...