During the second world war there was a great necessity for women to work. The men were off at war and the women were left in charge of what seemed like the whole country. They stepped up and took over most occupations making this an important era for feminist movements. Women joined the different branches of the military, they took positions in the government and even took over their own husbands businesses. They were left in charge of keeping everything up and running, in order for the men to take care of fighting the war. This war obviously did not only affect American women, but women in all the other countries that were involved in the war. There are numerous examples of strong individuals who became leaders, and encouraged women everywhere to do the same. This time period was by far one of the most life changing for females. The necessity for women to work during World War Two brought about an awakening for feminism movements and the change in the role of modern women; after the war we were no longer seen as only wives and mothers, but as a significant contribution to society.
Women's lives changed in many ways during the fourties, many found their roles, opportunities and responsibilities, expanded. As their husbands went to war or went to work in factories in other parts of the country, the wives had to pick up their responsibilities.(Darian) This was far different from their usual home maker and mother roles. They now were left with the responsibility to keep the country going, and making it easier to come out of the war and still have a home to come back to. They helped in many ways indirectly, and even by joining the military themselves. Although they were allowed to join the military, women were excluded from combat duty. They were mostly given the roles of nurses, or helping with the sowing of the uniforms and obtaining supplies. (Maurine)American women were not the only ones to be affected, women in other Allied and Axis countries were also affected. Specific examples included the "comfort women" of China and Korea; along with the Jewish women and the Holocaust. A different way it affected women in the United States was that they were forced to conserve resources and domestic products. Resources were taken away from domestic uses for military uses, the domestic workforce fell, and even though women filled some of the openings domestic production fell as well. Women's shopping and food preparation habits were affected by having to deal with rationing methods, as well as working outside the home in addition to their homemaking responsibilities. They were advised by organized propaganda campaigns to practice prudence, by carrying groceries instead of using the car to preserve tire rubber for the war effort. (Pierson) Also to grow more of their family's food and to sew and repair clothing rather than buying new clothes, to raise money for and contribute to war bonds. Women moved outside their traditional roles and took positions in jobs usually reserved for men.
Propaganda posters with images like "Rosie the Riveter" promoted the idea that it was patriotic and not unfeminine to take up jobs. This was a nation wide feeling, to take up a job meant to support the United States and to unite as a people in their time of need. Thousands of women moved to Washington DC, to take government office and support jobs. There were many jobs for women at Los Alamos and Oak Ridge, where the US explored nuclear weapons. (Campbell) Women were indirectly being a great asset to the war by managing weapon production as well as other supplies. An All-American Girls Baseball League was created during this period, and reflected the shortage of male baseball players in the major league. It is comical to think how it was as if men had disappeared and were replaced. Women took over most aspects of entertainment, including sports.
Other women decided that they would work in factories. They worked in all kinds of production services from making ammunition to aero planes. The hours they worked were long and some women had to move to where the factories were. Skilled women could earn £2.15 a week, but men doing the same work were paid more. In fact, it was not unknown for unskilled men to get more money that skilled female workers. This clearly angered employees, and in 1943 women at the Rolls Royce factory in Glasgow went on strike. This was seen as being unpatriotic in time of war, and when the female strikers went on a street demonstration in Glasgow, they were pelted with eggs and tomatoes; but the protesters soon stopped when they found out how little the women were being paid. The women had a part-victory as they returned to work on the pay of a male semi-skilled worker. This was not at the level of a male skilled worker, but better than it was before the strike. (Pierson)
Women served in many positions in direct support of military efforts as well. Military women were excluded from combat positions, but that didn't keep some from being in harm's way. Many nurses in or near combat zones or on ships, for example were killed. About 74,000 women served in the American Army and Navy Nurse Corps. More than 1,000 women served as pilots associated with the US Air Force in the WASP (Women Air force Service Pilots) but were considered civil service workers, and weren't recognized for their military service until the 1970s.This is almost the same as the discrimination that goes on towards immigrants to serve in the military even today. Any one brave enough to fight for our country should be given the recognition of a hero and a citizen. (Maurine) In addition to thousands of women who took jobs in support of the war effort or to free up men for other jobs, women played key leadership roles in government.
In China, Madame Chiang Kai-shek was an active promoter of the Chinese cause against the Japanese occupation. This was the wife of the Nationalist leader of China, who was head of China's air force during the war. She took action and spoke to the US Congress in 1943, and was called the world's most famous woman for her efforts. This was very impressive due to their culture. (Darian) Chinese women are not usually known for being bold and speaking up. While this was going on over seas in the United States, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt played an active role in building morale among citizens and military forces. She was doing a great deal by keeping the country as well as the women motivated. Due to her husband's disability and the fact that he must not be seen by the public as disabled meant that she took over some of his responsibilities. Although she was not given credit for being a sort of assistance to her husband, she was simply the first lady. Another women who made a difference came at the end of the war was Alice Paul, who rewrote the Equal Rights Amendment, which had been introduced into and rejected by each session of Congress since women had achieved the vote in 1920.
In many Allied countries women were encouraged to join female branches of the armed forces or participate in industrial or farm work. By 1944, more than 2.3 million women were working in the war industries in the U.S., building ships, aircraft, vehicles, and weaponry. It was the first time women had really been given this amount of responsibility and were trusted with big decisions. They also worked in factories, munitions plants and farms, drove trucks, provided support for soldiers and entered professional areas of work that were previously saved for males. In the Allied countries thousands of women enlisted as nurses serving on the front lines. The hard skilled labor of women again was symbolized in the United States by the figure of Rosie the Riveter. Which was a poster with the picture of a woman flexing her arm saying "we can do it" as many persuasive propaganda did during this time. (Trueman)
American women also saw combat during World War II, primarily as nurses in the Army Nurses Corp and United States Navy Nurse Corps during the Pearl Harbor attacks on December seventh 1941. In July 1943 a bill was signed making the Women's Army Corps an official part of the regular army, but not in combat units. American women also performed many varieties of non-combat military service in special units such as the WAVES, Women's Army Corps, and Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Carmen Contreras-Bozak, who became the first Hispanic to join the WAC's, serving in Algiers under General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Minnie Spotted-Wolf; the first female Native American woman to enlist in the United States Marines. (Campbell) These women became role models and marked the beginning of a new era.
Another very interesting job women took up was that of secret agents. They were members of SOE, which stood for: Special Operations Executive, and were usually parachuted into France or landed in special Lysander planes. Their work was extremely dangerous as just one slip could lead to capture, torture and even death. Their work was basically to find out all that they could to support the Allies for the planned landings in Normandy in June 1944. (Higonnet) The most famous female SOE members were Violette Szabo and Odette Churchill. Both were awarded the George Cross for the work they did; the George Cross is the highest bravery award that a civilian can obtain. Sadly both were captured and tortured. Violette Szabo was murdered by the Gestapo while Odette Churchill survived the war.(Campbell)
At the end of World War Two, those women who had found alternate employment from the normal for women, lost their jobs. The returning soldiers had to be found jobs and many wanted society to return to normal. Therefore by 1939, many young girls found employment in domestic service , about 2 million of them, just as had happened in 1914. This made women feel disappointed and cheated. (Higonnet) They were only there to hold the men’s jobs and were tossed aside when they were back. This event started numerous protest and requests for equal rights regardless of sex.
With this expanded horizon of opportunity and confidence, and with the extended skill base that many women could now give to paid and voluntary employment, women's roles in World War II were even more extensive than in the First World War. This second world war made society realize that women were an important part of society, that they could deliver as most men could. Women before the wars were not really allowed to have opinions, occupations or really lives outside their homes. This war along with its conflicts brought about the importance of the discriminations women had suffered through. They came to realize that they could stand financially on their own, that they could be someone. Not only were they someone’s wife, someone’s mother or homemakers; they were citizens who contributed to their countries well being. They were patriotic and proud of their accomplishments, and their roles were never again the same. If it was not for this movement, maybe females today would still be oppressed to stay at home to do nothing but cook, clean and take care of children. Our country would have missed out on all the great accomplishments made by women recently, which gave us a better life.
