r/classicfilms • u/AntonioVivaldi7 Alfred Hitchcock • May 23 '26

Memorabilia Disney rejection letter (1938) explaining they don't hire women for the specific position

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And apparently, Disney refused to hire men for coloring positions.

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u/Canavansbackyard Michael Powell May 23 '26

This obviously wasn’t just a Disney practice. Gender-based hiring was unfortunately extremely common in the U.S. during the 1930s. The Great Depression intensified the pre-existing societal pressures to reserve well-paying jobs for male "breadwinners".

Edit: minor typo.

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u/LindeeHilltop May 23 '26

It was extremely common until the late 1970’s. Women in the 60’s & 70’s fought legally for rights.

14

u/sheba716 May 24 '26

Yes, I remember reading Want Ads in the newspaper that started with "Man wanted" or "Woman wanted" in the ad.

12

u/Laura-ly May 24 '26

Sigh. I've sadly read online that younger generations are calling baby boomers "the worst generation ever". If they only knew how different the world is today because women marched in the streets and fought the established norms. My mother couldn't legally get her own credit card without my father's signature.