Australian Women´s Role in World War II

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Before the second world war had begun, it was expected that the men of the families in Australia had the jobs and worked to feed and care for their families’ needs, while the women stayed at their family homes and looked after the children and the house keeping. Though when the war had begun taking men from the country and taking them off to fight overseas, this expectation could no longer stand. Women were forced to take jobs that had previously been proclaimed as too physically challenging for women, so that more men could be recruited into the war as soldiers. Women took over jobs like welding, machine repair, operating tractors and other large machines.

When the men were fighting, the women back in Australia were having their lives change completely. Women dealt with managing their family, the shortages of resources, and the fear of their husbands, brothers and other important men in their lives, dying. Women were now working out of their traditional roles as mothers and wives and were hoping to keep their jobs after the men had returned from their duties. They were also working for much lower wages than the men would’ve received for working the same jobs. For the many women who had enjoyed working, it was upsetting when the men of the country returned home, and all of the women who were working were forced out of their jobs and back into their homes where they were encouraged to take on their previous lifestyle as house wives and mothers again.

Women were also recruited as nurses to travel alongside the battle with the Australian soldiers. The Australian nurses that worked in Papua New Guinea were very close to the front line, so close that they often had to perform their duties behind a shield of armed guards and there w...

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...ob that they could do.

Women played a significant role during World War II by proving that they were able to do many of the jobs that had been previously assigned to men only. Their lives took a dramatic change when the men of Australia were shipped off to fight in the war. The significant role that the Women of our country played during this hard time, would have been extremely hard for them to adapt to and cope with. They’d never worked hard laboured work like this before and it would have been a complicated challenge for them to over come in a short space of time. Without women during this hard time, sources would have been scarce and not nearly as much work would have been done. Australia would’ve struggled so much more without the women of our country pitching in and stepping up to do their bit. Australia was very lucky to have such courageous and brave women.

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