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Emphasized Femininity During World War II

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Emphasized Femininity During World War II
World War II was considered a start for women’s liberation. On the surface, it appears so; women entered the work force in large numbers and performed tasks previously considered masculine. This is just face value, when looking deeper, it is clear that women entered the labour force not because of a right to work or a struggle for gender equity but for the war effort. Supposed gains were lost at the end of the war because the attitude towards women’s role in society had not become more egalitarian. In fact, gender roles were even more strictly enforced. In propaganda and the media, women’s work was emphasized as temporary and the expectation was that they would return to the domestic realm at the end …show more content…

Nonetheless, women did not join the work force to challenge gender norms or for the right to work. With images from propaganda, women joined because it was their patriotic duty to make sacrifices for the war. However, there are some discrepancies between the government’s stress on patriotism and the motivation of women workers. From several surveys distributed to women in Canada, economic reasons were a prime motive for employment during the Second World War. Either way, women were not entering the labour force because of equality, it was out of necessity. Accommodations to women in the workforce, such as daycare, were introduced as a temporary measure within the context of the war effort. Once the war was over, the accommodations had vanished and women were both directly and indirectly encouraged to return to the domestic …show more content…

It is celebrated yet trivialized. In a 1944 issue, an article stated that the women working in the machine shop are surprising capable at mechanical work despite the job not being traditionally associated with women. In a following editorial, it is stated that one of the things a returning soldier wants is his old job back. Despite how capable the women are at their job or how essential their work is to the war effort, it is a temporary position that will go back to its rightful owner. In addition, women who do not quietly return to the domestic realm are selfishly taking jobs that belong to a veteran. There were also concerns that women are more likely to remain single with success in the labour market. In one article about society after victory, women are no longer part of the paid labour force and are instead are only referred to in their roles as wives. However, there was a possibility of women remaining in the labour force after the war. The expectation was that women were to shift to women’s jobs. After the war, women will go back to their place in the home with their femininity undamaged by the war effort.
A woman’s role in the workplace was not only to carry out work productively but to also be decorative. Aircrafter not only celebrated women’s work but celebrated women’s value as decoration with the Can Car pin-up girl. Being decorative ensured that despite doing

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