This was a war that transformed the lives of women and the lives of Americans in general. World War II resulted in women keeping contributing to the economy, American home life changing, and women’s role in society evolving. Women were needed to fill in the place of men to keep the economy running during World War II. Initially, men
There was extreme sexism that women didn’t even take note of. Woman and men were not seen as equals and a need for women’s rights went almost unnoticed until after World War II. The demand for women to participate in war efforts was so compelling that political leaders agreed that both genders would have to change their views of the stereotypical roles of men and women for at least the duration of this national emergency. Women were told they must contribute in lots of different ways. Between 1940 and 1945, the female percentage of the U.S. workforce increased from 27% to 37%.
Postwar Effects on Women The "feminine mystique" that American culture promotes is entirely dependent upon its ideas, beliefs, and needs of the time. American culture has always tended to influence women into doing what the day and age required. After men went to war there was a gap in the work force that needed to be filled. During World War II women were the most available to join the work force. Due to the discouragement to raise families during the Great Depression and the fact that most men of age had entered the war, many women were left without families to look after and men to take to take care of them.
During the war, women played a huge part and showed great patriotic support. In the work place, they replaced men, in shops, factories, government office and transportation systems like driving because men were called to the front line, this change had to be made so the country could function. Women finally had economical and financial independence due to them working. The dependence on men was decreased dramatically. Prior to this, traditional men and government used the excuse that women were weak-minded and to emotional to vote.
World War II as a Time of Opportunities for American Women World War II was the catalyst that changed the opportunities available to women and eventually the way they were regarded as a viable workforce. Suddenly women throughout the United States were pushing themselves to their limits to support the war effort. Women were fulfilling jobs and responsibilities that many previously believed to be impossible for their gender. Opportunities were opened in steel plants, ammunition factories, and even the United States military. As the war progressed the number of male workers declined dramatically.
Although it had got worse since the end of the war it should be recognised that women's role in society had been greatly improved since the days before the First World War. During the Second World War many of the men were conscripted to go away to war. This meant that their jobs now needed to be filled in order for the country to work., women got jobs in all areas of employment from working in manual labour to working in banks. They also managed to prove that they could do the jobs just as well as men and were able to work in jobs that had previously been for men only. Gaining all these new jobs had been a huge leap towards women gaining equality with men, however when the men returned from war most if the women lost their war time jobs.
Though all this changed due to the notorious war of World War II. In the beginning of the World War of the World War II women were forced to enter the work force. “Due to enormous need for job laborers women filled the jobs that were freed by men leaving to serve the war,” (Hughes 2). Women faced many inequalities during this time. Like the refusal from some employers to hire women, or some hi... ... middle of paper ... ...me received demotions.
When the war started, men were called to the home front. With so many men going to war, there was a large gap in employment and in response; women came in to replace the men. This war opened up radical new employment to women. It was a war that gave women the opportunity to prove themselves as important in a male-dominated society. A society where they finally had the power to do more than cleaning the house, cooking, and tending for children and be recognized for efforts outside of the house.
We start this exploration with the lives of American women. World War Two granted opportunities to women, that had never been seen in American history, that let them demonstrate that they could self manage and had an entitlement of equal opportunities in the work force. To begin with, World War Two with many men in the military and an increase in the demand for work, left many jobs that would be occupied by men vacant. This meant that women were actually called from their gender stereo-typed jobs, of domestic labor, and actually encouraged to enter the work force; an essay from Private lives/Public Moments describes the circumstances well, “In wartime the stigma attached to employment for married women evaporated. Women not only were tolerated in the paid labor force, they were actively recruited to take 'men's jobs' as a patriotic duty, to keep the war economy booming while the men went off to fight.” (Cavallo, 141).
Men were being sent out to war, women were recruited actively in working forces. Despite the contribution of women to the war, they were still seen as secondary to men. Because of that, the hope for equality in gender in the United States grew even stronger after World War II.