From the 1920s to the 1980s, women's roles and social status were both dramatically expanded and simultaneously retarded. Promising progress was often met by simultaneous setbacks. Such fluctuations and dichotomies persist until this day, as women are being portrayed in conflicting ways in the media and in politics. The double standard for women has been the overarching theme of the twentieth century female experience. The 1920s was a time for radical role revolutions for women. Flappers were wild, independent women who broke free of gender role restrictions by wearing different clothes and dancing. Their breaking free of tradition reflected overarching social and political changes taking place throughout the world. The roles of women at this time were becoming increasingly liberated, and in the 1920s, women were finally granted the ability to vote. Their greater social and political status expanded female roles, but not universally and not comprehensively. For example, women would continue to be treated as second-class citizen for decades and in some cases still are. Women in the early and mid-twentieth century also remained closely connected to the domestic ideologies that have shaped women's experiences throughout time.

             As women did gain greater social and political status, however, they began to occupy positions within traditionally male-dominated arenas. For example, women became significant presences in the military, whether as uniformed officers or as nurses. Women who were not involved in the war effort directly became viable economic producers. From the 1920s to the 1940s, or between the first and second World Wars, women's work roles shifted and although they made less then men, women became significant breadwinners for their families as well as entrepreneurs. Increasingly, women became involved in political causes, and became more recognized as creative and productive members of society.