By Sam Singer
The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 was one of the most deadly pandemics in history. Death counts reached fifty million, with over 500 million affected. Additionally, with World War I at its height, military mobilization created ideal conditions for the influenza virus to thrive. Many men in the army were packed into tight spaces while training and traveling, malnourished with weakened immune systems, and practiced poor hygiene. However, the effects of the pandemic extended beyond the sickness and loss of life.
In 1918, most women were relegated to life as homemakers. A woman would typically marry as young as nineteen then stay at home cooking, cleaning, and raising children. If a woman did wish to work outside the home, they received low pay, only around 20% of the income a man would. This may have been due in part to the limited jobs available to women, most of which involved duties similar to homemaking, like restaurant work, house cleaning, or caring for others' children.
World War I disrupted these patterns, as many men were away at war, injured, disabled, or deceased. To compensate for the lack of male labor, many women were called into the workforce. This included professions traditionally off limits to most women, such as medicine. The new female physicians and other professionals of the early 20th century blazed a trail for many women to follow.
Even in 2023, injustice still continues for female workers. The wage gap between women and men in the United States is still astonishingly large, with women making 83% of what a man makes in that same position.
The women who risked their lives to prove people wrong have inspired me to disregard what people think women can and can’t do. It has taught me that one must take a stand to create change in the world. But overall, it has inspired me to not lose hope, and to keep pushing through hard times. For there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.