“Gee, I wish I were a man!” It is an odd thing for a woman to say, but during World War II this saying was a common advertisement to encourage women to join the workforce during the war. The United States join World War II after Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was attacked on December 7, 1941. The surprise attack caused many men to be drafted. Men had to leave their homes, which left women to take care of the household. 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 …show more content…
Women showed their skill and ability to work, changing their role in society. “Women were hired for traditionally male occupations” (“Women in business”). After being hired for male jobs, women were portrayed differently and not as the average housewife. In 1944 women addressed the fact they do not get equal pay for equal work and to have working conditions improved (“Women in Society”). That included having childcare for working mothers. This prepared women to be more aggressive and be more demanding so society would accept them and so they could continue taking on these nontraditional roles after war (“Women in Society”). Working made women more demanding and they stood up themselves. It did take some convincing to have women join the workforce. The concept of working women was encouraged and advertised during the war because employment was necessary. Rosie the Riveter was also a shaped image and type of role model for women to follow (“Women in Society”). Women were comfortable being housewives before the demand for workers, but things had to change. Women’s viewpoint changed from staying home and taking care of the household, to them not wanting to be known as a housewifes anymore. “They demanded participation in the public arena and refused to accept the restrictions of traditional gender roles”(“Women in Society”). Women wanted to participate more in the community and contribute more to the country. Not only did they want to participate more in society, but they wanted to be viewed as equal to men in society. In 1944, women addressed the fact they do not get equal pay for equal work and to have working conditions improved. That included having childcare for working mothers. This prepared women to be more aggressive and be more demanding so society would accept them and to continue taking on these nontraditional roles after the war (“Women in Society”). After witnessing how they were able
American women in World War II brought significant changes which although people expectation that life would go back to normal they modify their lifestyle making women free of society pressure and norms, because the war changed the traditional way to see a woman and their roles leading to a new society where women were allowed to study and work in the same way than men. Creating a legacy with the principles of today’s society.
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.
...owards more love stories. Essentially more forms of propaganda ensued to let women know what they should be doing. More domestic jobs became available such as being a maid, restaurant work, dishwashing and cleaning. However women who worked war jobs wanted their own maids now so they could pursue their own dreams. They felt inspired and accomplished. Lola Wiexl mentioned that although skills within the workforce were easily learned, within the household traditions still persisted. Lola herself said she'd go home cook, clean and do the laundry while her brother laid on the couch. She didn't question it before but she was angry about it for years after her war time experience. Thus patriarchal hegemonies still existed after the war and were perpetuated by the government and media as much as possible to solicit women who participated in activities outside of the home.
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.
World War II opened a new chapter in the lives of Depression-weary Americans. The United States of America had an unusual importance in the war, it had been spared the physical destruction that had taken place throughout the world. Americans on the home front did not see the fighting and brutality as other countries experienced it. However, the events and changes on the home front due to the World War transformed America. One of the greatest conversions was that of the American woman. Women around the country were transformed from the average house wife into a person with a voice and most importantly a purpose.
... dismissing these ideas as the war ended and men returned home. Their focus then turned to assuring the male public that women were still women and downplayed the independence they had gained. Nevertheless, those women paved the way for women after them to enter the work force, showing that even though their work was temporary during a time of crisis, they exceeded the expectations a nation had set for them.
...and the responsibility to be just as patriotic and dedicated as any other. When the war ended and the men returned, women weren’t required for the occupations, and this stirred a yearning in women to be once again sovereign, and perhaps the time set a scene for a path to complete gender integration and a women’s rights movement.
This was the start of a new age in the history for women. Before the war a woman’s main job was taking care of her household more like a maid, wife and mother. The men thought that women should not have to work and they should be sheltered and protected. Society also did not like the idea of women working and having positions of power in the workforce but all that change...
This also encouraged women since for so many decades they had been repeatedly told that they couldn’t do certain tasks. Until 20 years prior, women couldn’t vote or work. For once women were looked upon as useful. They could work and feel proud of themselves for this work since it was helping their loved ones and their country. Feeling as the inferior gender for so long, this phrase brought hope into the hearts of thousands of women who truly began to believe that they could accomplish anything that they tried to with the right amount of strength and hard work. Although the original purpose of this piece of propaganda was to help the war effort, it also became an icon for the feminist movement. People across the nation perceived woman as weak creatures that were simply men’s sidekicks. However due to the strong and hardworking image of Rosie the Riveter, the audience then associates strong with women, causing a rippling effect into the public’s viewpoint. Sexist opinions began to be changed and strength was associated with women for a change instead of strictly
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.
During America’s involvement in World War Two, which spanned from 1941 until 1945, many men went off to fight overseas. This left a gap in the defense plants that built wartime materials, such as tanks and other machines for battle. As a result, women began to enter the workforce at astonishing rates, filling the roles left behind by the men. As stated by Cynthia Harrison, “By March of [1944], almost one-third of all women over the age of fourteen were in the labor force, and the numbers of women in industry had increased almost 500 percent. For the first time in history, women were in the exact same place as their male counterparts had been, even working the same jobs. The women were not dependent upon men, as the men were overseas and far from influence upon their wives.
The two ideas of female gender roles and women’s rights collided throughout world war II. Due to the rising need of jobs being filled while men went to war was the basis of the new workforce for females. As time went on females rights evolved, and WWII was the basis of this progression. This is why World War II is considered a “milestone” in the womens workforce. Due to all of the changes in World War II women now have the ability to work in any profession they want, and have the same rights as men.
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. Society had no choice but to turn to the mothers, sisters, and daughters of our nation for help. The results for each woman varied but the nation was to be forever changed in how it looked at women in the work force. Although employment opportunities after the war were significantly reduced for women due to the return of the male soldiers, the effort and abilities women displayed during these difficult times had far reaching effects. Women's actions in small communities like the Hunter Chemical Plant in Huntsville, Alabama and Bridge and Steel Industrial Plant in Mt Vernon, Ohio changed the way men viewed their physical abilities. The creation of the Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) resulted in changing the way the government viewed women as a viable asset and led the way for the women who serve proudly in today's military. In this paper I will address the change in the attitudes of society and the way small communities and the government itself viewed the physical capabilities of women.
The 1940’s was an interesting and critical time for the United States of America. World War II began in the late 1930’s and moved on into the 1940’s. The United States Army joined in 1941 and “when the United States entered World War II, every aspect of life in America was affected by the conflict” (The 1940’s). New opportunities arose for women because of all the men out at war, so women had the chance to show off their skills and capabilities. They operated machines in factories and worked with heavy artillery. If a person did not fight the war for their country, they made weapons for the brave soldiers. This caused a drastic increase in the growth of the economy in the United States.
Women were offered new possibilities especially in the work force. “Rosie the Riveter” became the popular symbol of women who abandoned traditional female occupations to work in defense industries. Women power will be found for economic independence, the aping of men in industrial pursuits, and or joining battle for the military in which “men” are only supposed to join. Inez Saucer, chief clerk in the tool room stated, “The war changed my life completely. I guess you can say, at thirty-one, I finally grew up” (223). World War II gave women a chance to do something different for a chance that eventually led to an increase in divorce. Women employment grew and their place in society did also. They gained the right to vote and began expressing themselves in ways such as politics and