Women didn’t work as much as men at the start of war; in fact women’s main role was in the home. When the war broke out, most women were supportive of involvement at the start of was and more than 2000 served, generally as nurses. It became obvious that with so many Australian’s young men was away fighting, women would have to step in to keep industry and vital services running. This meant women got more opportunities to work and they applied to work as nurses, drivers, cooks, clerks, laundresses, but were rejected by the Defence Department, who had decided that women had no role on the warfront except as nurses. This made women’s organizations such as Australian Red Cross and Australian women’s Nation League very involved and encouraged men
How did the women’s organisations that were developed at The Home Front, contribute to the war effort?
Women proved their strengths to Australian society as they replaced the shortage of men in the work force. The government was reluctant to let women work. It was initially thought that women were incapable of manual labour but as the war went on, women took on roles such as factory workers, train conductors, bus drivers, taxi drivers and mail deliverers. The government continuously encouraged women to join the work force by displaying recruitment posters. They were used to great effect in Australia just like ‘Rosie the Riveter’, a character used in America to entice women to work in factories. Women were keen to experience a change and as a result, historians have stated that women made up forty per cent of the work force in war-related industries which required heavy-lifting and long hours of work. The most momentous involvement by women during the World War II era was the production of binoculars, bombs and ammunition. The reluctance of the government vanished; therefore, it cannot be denied that Australian women were viewe...
“There was much more to women’s work during World War Two than make, do, and mend. Women built tanks, worked with rescue teams, and operated behind enemy lines” (Carol Harris). Have you ever thought that women could have such an important role during a war? In 1939 to 1945 for many women, World War II brought not only sacrifices, but also a new style of life including more jobs, opportunities and the development of new skills. They were considered as America’s “secret weapon” by the government. Women allowed getting over every challenge that was imposed by a devastating war. It is necessary to recognize that women during this period brought a legacy that produced major changes in social norms and work in America.
1939: Australia joins the war effort. During this year Australian women were given the opportunity to formally assist in the war effort through The Australian Comforts fund (ACF). This was initiated by the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) This fund enabled women to knit various essentials for soldiers such as socks, scarves or perhaps sweaters. This organisation did not really give woman the opportunity to directly assist in the war effort but instead fell into the ideology of a woman’s role (stay at home). Australian women were also needed in the war effort due injured soldiers. The traditional role of women acting as nurses therefore sprang up in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS).
World War Two was the period where women came out of their shells and was finally recognized of what they’re capable of doing. Unlike World War One, men weren’t the only ones who were shined upon. Women played many significant roles in the war which contributed to the allied victory in World War Two. They contributed to the war in many different ways; some found themselves in the heat of the battle, and or at the home front either in the industries or at homes to help with the war effort as a woman.
During the war, women played a vital role in the workforce because all of the men had to go fight overseas and left their jobs. This forced women to work in factories and volunteer for war time measures.
The early rush of volunteers and later the conscription of men led to a shortage of manpower on the home front. Women, already working in munitions factories were encouraged to take on jobs normally done by men.
World War II was the largest and most violent armed conflict in the history of mankind.
Plan of Investigation This investigation will evaluate the question, to what extent did the British Women’s Auxiliary Air Force assist the Allies’ war efforts during the Second World War? This question is important because in World War 1 British women were active in the war effort but to a limited extent, acting as nurses on the battle field and working in munitions factories, but resumed their traditional roles in society after the war. In World War 2 women were more active in the military through auxiliary groups, such as Women’s Auxiliary Force (WAAF) and it is important to understand how much of an impact their work made on the Allies war effort.
"Leeds Express: 4 March 1868 I wonder, Mr Editor, Why I can't have the vote; And I will not be contented Till I've found the reason out I am a working woman, My voting half is dead, I hold a house, and want to know Why I can't vote instead I pay my rates in person, Under protest tho, it's true; But I pay them, and I'm qualified To vote as well as you. " Sarah Ann Jackson The purpose of this investigation is to analyse the issues surrounding the eventual enfranchisement of women in 1918, to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the militant Suffragette campaign in the early years of the twentieth century and to decide whether the outbreak of war was instrumental in achieving enfranchisement, or merely a fortunate coincidence. The poem written by Sarah Ann Jackson underlines the fact that many middle class women had, throughout the reign of Queen Victoria, taken issue with men's dominance over their lives and had worked hard throughout these years to draw attention to women's right to equality. For these women, enfranchisement was not their sole aim.
When all the men were across the ocean fighting a war for world peace, the home front soon found itself in a shortage for workers. Before the war, women mostly depended on men for financial support. But with so many gone to battle, women had to go to work to support themselves. With patriotic spirit, women one by one stepped up to do a man's work with little pay, respect or recognition. Labor shortages provided a variety of jobs for women, who became street car conductors, railroad workers, and shipbuilders. Some women took over the farms, monitoring the crops and harvesting and taking care of livestock. Women, who had young children with nobody to help them, did what they could do to help too. They made such things for the soldiers overseas, such as flannel shirts, socks and scarves.
They play a major part in nursing and cooking for the soldiers. The Australian Army Medical Women's Services (AAMWS) made a vital contribution to the defence of Australia during the Second World War. Australian Army Medical Women's service was established in December 1942. The (AAMWS) grew out of the volunteer Red Cross and St John Ambulance Voluntary Aid Detachments (known as the VADs). Some 8,500 served in both categories during the war and many who served on the home front would later receive a Civilian Service Medal for their individual roles as an Australian VAD member. The woman played major parts in the war, whilst the men were soldiers the women cooked for them as seen in this picture (PD37772.001). Some women helped as nurses in rural towns in Australia and the other women served on the front line in World War 2. The VAD women helped in the war in kitchens and nursing, if it wasn't for their work we wouldn't have got through
During the six years of World War II more and more women were joining into the public workforce. “Rosie The Riveter” became a main campaign in order to persuade women to work. In movies, newspapers, posters, photographs, articles, and even a Norman Rockwell-Painted Saturday Evening Post cover, the Rosie the Riveter campaign stressed the patriotic need for women to enter the workforce. Which they did in massive numbers. Though women were crucial to the war effort, their pay continued to lag far behind their male counterparts. Female workers rarely earned more than 50 percent of male wages. With twelve million men fighting overseas, women were inserted into the workforce of
World War 1 had a massive effect on women in society. Their lives drastically changed in a short amount of time. In fact with this change came plenty of responsibility, and a great deal of both physically and psychologically demanding work. This responsibility is what made women more confident and self-satisfied, which later on led them to fight harder for their rights.
When the war began men had to leave their families and jobs behind. World War I was a complete war because all of the world’s assets had to be used and the entire nation’s population was involved. Anyone that had the ability to work had to work. The women had to take up jobs and went through a lot changes in order to support their families during the war. World War I gave women with the chance to have a significant part in the victory of the war which had an impact them and changed the lives of all women forever.