Significant Impacts of the World Wars on American Society Essay

In the first section of the chapter the authors talk about how during World War II women made great strides toward becoming equals with men. They did this by going to work in factories. Women in the work place were not uncommon before the WWII era, but the actual women working in the factories changed.

The changing roles of women throughout history has been drastic, and none more so than the period during and after World War II. The irrevocable changes that occurred once the war started and women went to work were unprecedented.

World War II gave women the chance to take part in and prove what they where cable of handling men’s work. However there were limitations that women had to overcome during the war such as sexism and sexualized violence.

Even though Rosie the Riveter is an image frequently synonymous with the contemporary women’s movement, she was not designed to promote social change or improve the role of women in the workplace during World War II. In reality, she was promoted as the ideal female worker and was patriotic, confident, capable, and beautiful in a large propaganda campaign by the United States government. Since the war caused many men to answer the call to serve in the military, both at home and abroad, the United States was faced with the urgent challenge of recruiting women into the workforce. Rosie the Riveter was their solution to this problem.

The war marked a watershed in the history of women at work, and temporarily at least, caused a greater change in women's economic status than half a century of feminist rhetoric and agitation had been able to achieve. (125)

Throughout World War II, the role of women in the United States was rapidly changing. While men were away fighting overseas, the women were left to fill jobs and support America's war efforts. Women were encouraged to take on these new roles through advertisements for the war efforts. They were told that it was their duty to work, and they were really enjoying the feeling of independence and importance. However, once the war was over and the men began coming home, they were left in need of jobs, and this newfound sense of freedom for women would soon be stripped away from them.

(Scates & Frances, 1997). This however was verified to be wrong as employment of women increased from 24% in July 1914 to 37% in November 1918 but this growth tended to be in traditional industries such as clothing and footwear (Mendenwald N.D). The varying attitudes towards women were established through the statement a factory administrator, who claimed “Women were seen as quick learners and that in some departments they are more efficient than men, although those departments have been employing men exclusively for years”. During World War 1, not all the occupations were burdensome and non live- threatening. Some women operated in munitions and ammunition factories, which were treacherous and unhealthy and involved working with chemicals like sulphur without protection triggering damage to the skin and lungs (Mendenwald N.D). In an effort to produce more skilful women into the working industries, schools were set up to train women in upholstering, trimming, and other work calling for skilled operatives. The foremost cause of this was the unions were cautious to employ women in

Before war, it was unheard of to have women participate in big companies with successful men. However, after their husbands left, it was time for women to take over the house work and other jobs to keep the economy running. Finally, “American women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers during the World War II, as well widespread male enlistment left gaping holes in the industrial labor force” (History.com Staff). However, even though women were taking on the same roles as men, that doesn’t mean they received the same amount of respect. There still remains mistreatment, forced subservience, and even the devaluation of females, as well as an exploitation of their

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

During the war more than six million women joined the workforce. In August of 1943 Newsweek Magazine reported: “They [women] are in the shipyards, lumber mills, steel mills, foundries. They are welders, electricians, mechanics, and even boiler makers. They operate street cars, buses, cranes, and tractors. Women engineers are working in the drafting rooms and women physicists and chemists in the great industrial laboratories.”

World War II was a time where women were generally expected to stay at home and take care of the kids while their husbands went off to fight. During the war, women helped out with the war effort in many different ways because they cared about their country just as much as the men did, but they often had to prove themselves as capable of taking on different responsibilities during World War II. Women contributed in many different ways, but some really stood out because these women completely abandoned their traditional domestic sphere to help our country. Aside from serving in an army branch designated for women, many ladies were able to get their pilot licenses and operate American military aircrafts. A lot of the factory jobs that were meant for men were given to women while men were fighting for their country. Some women even went deeper into the war effort by risking their lives and going undercover as spies. Though many women across the globe were participating in such activities, it’s still unbelievable to think that women could break so many boundaries during such a sexist period of time. These women all had different jobs and experiences, such as nursing, working as a war correspondent, and spying to collect secrets for their country. Out of their many options, spies were the most useful to the war effort because their dangerous work could influence the results of battles and could save lives before they

For example, in metals and manufacturing, the number of female operatives between 1940 and 1950 rose from 175,246 to 331,140 (Blackwelder 145). In 1949, there were twice as many women working in California than there were in 1940 (Striking Women). Through the evaluation of these statistics, many historians came to conclude that the war, for sure, had a “long-term rather than temporary impact on women's place in the labor force" as it shows the rising progress of women’s employment. (Blackwelder 147). The claim is established further by the increase of 5.25 million females in the labor force between 1940 and 1949 (Striking Women). This suggests that World War II, indeed, made a lasting impact on American women in the labor force than argued by historians like Claudia Goldin. It shows that although there was a postwar decline in women’s employment, the war was a “milestone for women in America" (Chafe

Prior to World War II, employers and the government held that there were jobs appropriate for women and jobs which were inappropriate because women were not capable of fulfilling the tasks involved in such work. As we

Companies and many government agencies started filming training videos to show men how to work with women, and to show women how to stay safe at work while continuing to be feminine (L., 2014). Propaganda films, such as Proudly She Marches, were also used to show male recruits that the female recruits, “would be able to retain their femininity” (Women in world war II, 2015). Men had mixed feelings on to topic of working women. They felt they had lost their masculinity, and were afraid women would girly up the work place while still wanting women to keep their feminine appearances. During the world wars, men set a very high double standard for women, that required them to take the place of men while continuing to put a fresh coat of mascara on every morning. Not only this, but it was also expected that the women go back to their prior demeaning lines of work after the war had ended. If the general male’s opinion on working women wasn’t apparent enough during the war, they definitely made it apparent when the war was over and they told the women to go back to the

As of 1914, women were seen as inferior to men. Over the years, women have been able to prove that they excel at their work and more often than not, work more effectively than men. Despite the capabilities of women, some would argue that women are still not given the same consideration as men, as women are still told that they cannot do something, simply because of gender. Regardless, women have come a long way since the beginning of the feminist movement. During the interwar years, a new image of the woman came forward when women felt empowered to rewrite the rules of being a girl or woman in this time period, making it possible to contribute to the war effort in the Second World War, in turn undergoing profound changes in the role of women.