Because the many contributions of women during WWII went unnoticed, even today, Americans need to learn the sacrifices many women made while still being treated as less than a man. Only from these mistakes can the United States learn to recognize the women that serve this country on a daily basis. Before WWII, women knew their place. Carol Harris of BBC News says, “In the 1930s, social roles were clearly defined. A woman's place was in the home, a man's place was out at work.
Web. 27 Sept. 2014. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/womensrights.htm>. "Women 's Rights Movement in Victoria." Ergo.
Before 1939, women were looked at as weak, incompetent and incapable of doing a man’s job. However, when World War II broke out, women were called to maintain the jobs that the men once occupied and t became evident that America’s best chance for success in World War II would have to include the efforts of American females. Women played a key role during World War II in the U.S. More than six million women took wartime jobs in factories, three million volunteered with the Red Cross, and over 200,000 served in the military. Through these jobs women were able to show society that they were capable of doing bigger and better things. Women also realized that they enjoyed this taste of freedom and wanted to continue this lifestyle even after the war.
It sharpened their skills as they worked in industries that supplied and supported the war. WWII changed the roles of women forever. During World War II there were many job opportunities for women. Since husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers went to fight in the war, the women went to work in factories, offices, and even on military bases. These women went to work in paying jobs that were usually for men.
A. Plan Of Investigation: The question investigated was, to what extent did women play a role in America’s industry during World War II. During World War II men began getting drafted and leaving home to go defend their country, by doing so they not only left their families behind but their jobs as well. In order to keep production and the economy moving, women began to replace the men and become part of the work field. The scope of this investigation was to research why and how woman began working in factories and taking over the production aspect of America.
American Journey. U.S. History in Context. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. "Votes for Women: Carrie Chapman Catt."
Web. 14 Feb. 2014. "NWHM Exhibit: A History of Women in Industry." NWHM Exhibit: A History of Women in Industry. N.p., n.d.
It is no secret that no matter how much women continue to strive in the workplace, politics, etc., inequality will always persist. Throughout American history, the oppression of women has caused an adverse effect on humanity. Some men believed that embracing women as worthy of equal opportunities was a threat to them, as all the rules would be changing. However, the 1900s witnessed a change in that trend, as women started to fight and stand up for their rights. Women have stood on the frontline of this conflict, but at the end of the day they are only requesting “The power or privilege to which one is justly entitled” So, how did women’s role in society evolve from 1919 to 1941?
Harvard Business Review. Women in the Workplace: A Research Roundup. n.d. 15 November 2013 . National Archives. World War II: Women in the Work Force during World War II.
Web. 15 Apr. 2014. Weatherford, Doris. American Women and World War II.