Mrs. Roosevelt convinced President Franklin D. Roosevelt to instruct Great Depression relief director Harry Hopkins to form a women's division within the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the original government arm of the New Deal, and to appoint a woman to manage it. Hopkins called upon Ellen Woodward to fill this role. read more
Women were impacted by the New Deal. Eleanor Roosevelt was a great advocate for women being included in the various New Deal programs. She received thousands of letters highlighting the suffering that women experienced during the Great Depression. As a result, she insisted that women be included in the provisions of some of the New Deal Programs. read more