“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
In 1943, most women worked as teachers, nurses, or done some sort of domestic labor. Their opportunities were nowhere near as vast as the men’s. This caused the women to feel left out or unequal. Women fought for more equal opportunities as well as equal treatment. This along with their sense of patriotism is what led them to work in these factories. They wanted to be viewed as equal counterparts and have the same opportunities as men during this time. Not as many opportunities were open to the women so they jumped at the chance to widen them when the idea of working in the factories came up. This also paired with their sense of patriotism, making their determination to work stronger. The women knew the men were off fighting for their freedom so this would give them a chance to contribute to the cause as well as help war production. This challenged the views of the workplace as well as the beliefs of where women belonged in the workplace. Numerous men...
On December 7, 1941, American citizens stretched over the country were shocked at the horrific devastation of the Pearl Harbor attack from the Japanese. Because of the bombing in Hawaii, 2,600 citizens were killed ,8 naval ships were destroyed, and more than 100 planes were brought down without a warning. This incident had urged both men and women to put a foot in the door and join the war effort of World War II. When war had begun with the other countries The U.S. wished to remain neutral however Pearl Harbor had a devastating impact that we pursued the fight against our enemies. Many men that had joined the war effort were major and minor league baseball players, leaving room open for women to play baseball professionally
When the war started, women had to take over the jobs of men and they learned to be independent. These women exemplified the beginning of change. Coupled with enfranchisement and the increased popularity of birth control, women experienced a new liberation. When the men returned from the war they found competition from the newly liberated woman who did not want to settle for making a home (Melman 17). This new class of women exercised a freedom that shocked society.
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.
World War I is remembered as a soldier's conflict for the six million men who
The 1940s provided a drastic change in women’s employment rates and society’s view of women. With the end of the Depression and the United States’ entrance into World War II, the number of jobs available to women significantly increased. As men were being drafted into military service, the United States needed more workers to fill the jobs left vacant by men going to war. Women entered the workforce during World War II due to the economic need of the country. The use of Patriotic rhetoric in government propaganda initiated and encouraged women to change their role in society.
The role of women in society was unchanging. It was quite remarkable how stable their role remained for so long (135). While still recovering from the Depression, Europe managed to mark the beginning of the biggest war in history. They first took over Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. And after Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese, the United States entered the war. The main transformation World War II made for women in American society was there were man...
Before the war, some women worked in their homes caring for their children and tending after their homes and gardens. Others did do some more labor, such as working in factories, being telephone operators and in rare cases nurses. These were the normal jobs at the time and they required little to some labor. When the war started up little did they know the women’s work industry was going to be forever changed and viewed differently. In 1914 women started making guns, ammunition, and more in the munitions factories. The munitions factories were huge buildings where hundreds of women would work and sweat all day. In the factories they filled various munitions such as cartridges, bombs, screening...
Trying to hold the homefront together while there was a war waging abroad was not an
economy going as men fought on the battle front. After every war women were pushed
Women’s role in society changed quite a bit during WWI and throughout the 1920s. During the 1910s women were very short or liberty and equality, life was like an endless rulebook. Women were expected to behave modestly and wear long dresses. Long hair was obligatory, however it always had to be up. It was unacceptable for them to smoke and they were expected to always be accompanied by an older woman or a married woman when outing. Women were usually employed with jobs that were usually associated with their genders, such as servants, seamstresses, secretaries and nursing. However during the war, women started becoming employed in different types of jobs such as factory work, replacing the men who had gone to fight in the war in Europe. In the late 1910s The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) had been fighting for decades to get the vote for women. As women had contributed so much to the war effort, it was difficult to refuse their demands for political equality. As a result, the Nineteenth Amendment to the constitution became law in 19...
With so many men abroad fighting, women were needed in the workforce. Thousands of women flocked to munitions factories, farms and public services around the country. Actually around two million women replaced men in employment during the war. This newfound independence had a significant impact on their lives. It made them confident with themselves and confident with standing up for their rights.
During the war, men were off fighting for America, and the women were left behind to take over their jobs in the factories. Women proved that they can do almost all of the same jobs as men. Rosie the Riveter, a picture of a woman flexing with a caption of “We Can Do It,” became the symbol for women all across the nation. After the war, years later, women began to receive equal pay for the same jobs that the men were doing. Many other minority groups, such as African Americans, played a huge
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...