In The 1940S Women Were Called Upon To Help The War Effort

On September 3rd 1939 World War II started in Europe. During World War II, more than 16 million American men served in the military. While this large portion of the population was overseas fighting for the United States, women had to do many of the jobs in America normally held by men. Women were considered vital assets to the war effort, and the American government made sure to use their skills and labor in many different areas to win the war. Women contributed to the successful war effort by working society, documenting the war effort, and supporting the soldiers.

Women entered the workforce to compensate for the lost man-power due to the draft which was the catalyst of female emancipation. Women had their right to independence and freedom by entering the workforce despite the limitation of economic freedom, wage gap discrimination, and exclusion from a multitude of jobs. By 1920, 8 million women entered the workforce and were obtaining wages while a quarter of women remained housewives (700 Foner). Women were considered tolerant, meticulous and calm, having a woman at an office would make work more pleasant and satisfactory. Post war, women were encouraged to bear and raise children, be full-time housewives, and leave their full-time jobs for the war veterans. However, women of the 1930’s did not have free will or choice - their future was already defined: going to university to prepare for marriage and meet a man that would suit their family, get married, get a house, and have children. Women were not only responsible for the family’s wellbeing and for domestic organization, but their contribution to society expanded beyond house limits. Women’s role at the time should not only be seen as housewives and perfect mothers, but also as active individuals who played a crucial part in the construction of cultural life and of social activism in the thirties. One of the main transformations experienced by working women was the new image that they had of themselves. They saw that they could be independent and that made them increasingly confident in their capacities as women and as

During WWII, the two-breadwinner vision of the family suffered further setbacks. As May puts it, women entered war production, but they did not give up on reproduction..Economic hardship was no longer a barrier to marriage, as it had been in the 1930s, and dependents' allowances eased the burdens of families if the breadwinners were drafted. But perhaps most important was the desire to solidify relationships and establish connections to the future when war made life so uncertain. (May p.59-60) While the culture venerated female workers, it also promoted a return to domesticity after the war, a return encouraged by the gender bias of the GI Bill. Meanwhile, men were encouraged through pin-ups and propaganda to believe they were fighting for their own slice of the domestic, consumerist good life.

When Britain declared war against Germany in 1939, the Australian Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, proclaimed that Australia was also at war. The declaration of war saw Australians respond to another world conflict. On this occasion, Australia itself would be under the threat of attack. World War II would not only require young men to travel overseas and fight but it also significantly impacted the lives of Australian women. The contribution Australian women made towards the war effort and their roles on the Homefront and overseas was a vital part of Australian History. Australian women had a range of duties and responsibilities they were encouraged to perform. Since most men had to go overseas to

After all the devastation brought about by the Great Depression and World War II, Americans desired and sought for a return to normalcy during the 1950s. With men away at war and women pursuing jobs, the rate of divorce skyrocketed as families were being split apart. Juvenile delinquency rose in great numbers due to the lack of parental supervision during wartime. This evoked fear in the American people that the survival of the “traditional American family” was in jeopardy. Thousands of women were pushed out of the workforce and back into their homes as returning soldiers resumed their positions on the job. Suburban housing flourished as the notion to conform spread across the country. The 1950s was a period of conventionality, when both men and women practiced strict gender roles and complied with society’s expectations in attempts to recreate the “American Dream”. The concept of the “Ideal Woman” created a well-defined picture to women of what they were supposed to emulate as their proper gender role in society. A woman was told her primary interest was everything but herself. She was expected to cook, clean, take care of the kids, and be a loving wife who waits for her husband to come home in order to adhere to his needs. Taking time to care for herself was never in the picture. The idea of conformity trapped these women in suffocating boxes that allowed no room to breathe. The pressure put on women to be the core of the entire family while keeping her husband happy was

Many people have never considered what women were doing in WWII when their husbands left to fight. Their lives weren’t easy or normal during the war. Women had to work just as hard as men, sometimes even more so. In this essay, I will discuss the position of American women before World War II, during the war, and at the end of the war.

During World War II, the roles of women have forever been changed. Young men and women decided to marry just before their sweethearts went overseas to fight for their country. As the men fought abroad, we began to see women on the Home Front encouraged to be more independent and finding jobs of their own. These females in the United States stepped up to the plate and began working jobs that many men had before. Women stepped up and began working in factories, participating in organizations in regards to the war, all while still running things smoothly at home. While the men were away for battle, women became proficient cooks and housekeepers, managed the finances, learned to fix the car, worked in a defense plant, and wrote letters to their soldier husbands.

The war brought enormous changes in American women’s lives. Before the war and for much of the world’s history, Women were seen as second-class citizens. At the start of the struggle women

In 1939 the war broke out in Europe. Many countries were still fighting the struggle to rebuild their economy from the depression of the 1930 's and going back into the war was a big problem for everybody people were not as excited as whenever the first World War I broke down. When WWI happen people were actually excited because they had not seen a wa in many years but after they were not ready for WWII. A great number of Women were affected both directly and indirectly. Since they were barely getting back up from the great depression they needed all the support they could and war separated the family. As more then a

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

Historically, wartime has always brought upon big changes for the lives of citizens in warring nations. Wars are often major points in a country’s history, catalyzing progression toward societal changes. In World War II, this was true for every nation involved. Specifically, America underwent many major changes in tradition after World War II ravaged the world. Although Americans did not experience firsthand the destruction of their homeland like their European counterparts, the events of World War II did drastically transform America. One of the most major changes brought to the U.S. by World War II was the change to women’s role in society. Traditionally, women in America were not seen as a group of people who were supposed to be working;

From 1940- 1970 there were many significant changes in the lives of women. As seen in past wars including the United States, the roles of men, women and children are affected during times of turmoil. Prior to the U.S.’s potential involvement with World War II, they attempted to stay “neutral”. Despite hopes for neutrality, President Roosevelt called for an increased production of material over a year and a half prior to the attack at Pearl Harbor (Yellin, 3). Both to prepare for war and during the war, women joined the labor force and often worked in factories to replace men who had joined the military and to increase the production of war material. This was a huge shift in which women left their domestic roles of being homemakers and housewives to being major

Times have changed; the nuclear family is no longer the American ideal because family needs have changed since the 1950's. This American convention of a mother and father and their two children, were a template of films and early television as a depiction of the American family life. Now seen as archaic and cliché by today’s standards, but the idea is common throughout many of the first world nations in the world. This ideal was a vast departure from the past agrarian and pre industrial families, and was modeled and structured as the ‘American dream’ father working, mother maintaining the household and children molded to be simulacra of the parents. This portrayal was not the standard; many communities throughout America had a different

Even the country shut down production of consumer goods to meet the needs of the war. The changes brought about an increase in industrial production. The labor force significantly increased. Almost a third of the country had a disposable income for the first time, a drastic change from nearly half of Americans suffering from poverty a year before. After the war the goal simply became developing an economy capable of providing an adequate livelihood to all its citizens, the “American Dream”. The 1940’s marks the rise of suburbs and the ideal “good life” or “American Dream” as many veterans returned home and purchased houses. In the late 1940’s and throughout the 1950’s, many pursued the “American Dream” of hard work rewarded by middle-class signs of success such as a house, a car, a college education, and household appliances.

“Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era” was written by Elaine T. May and was originally published in 1988. New York: Basic Books, was the publisher of this book. Once World War II was over, Americans started getting married in larger numbers and had a stronger bond with their significant other. This means that more lasting marriage were happening than previous generations. A family who wanted to stay together and keep there home secure was how most americans could maintain their way of life against a threat. If they did not, life would only get harder for the men and women. The Cold War/anti-communism/domestic bliss of the 1950s may have been ideal for men and children, but was detrimental to women, their sexuality, and their personal fulfillment.