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What Is The Role Of Women In Ww2

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Women and the War: 1914-1945 There has been no better growth in the United States history than the period between the beginning of World War I and the end of World War II, where leaders and reforms in the nation shaped America as we know it today. Among Americans who experienced this period of trial and growth were women. The First World War brought about a series of positive changes within the United States, which would dramatically change the lives of women through the end of WWII, generating employment, suffrage, freedoms, and an importance to society. WWI was a time of great economic growth in the United States, beginning in 1914 due to a Bosnian Serb assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The United States did not have intentions to …show more content…

America initially isolated itself and tried to continue peaceful trade through the "cash-and-carry" policy (Roark, et al. 754). After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, American desire to fight and avenge this attack emerged. On December 8, 1941, Congress endorsed the declaration of war. WWII was fought long and hard, but it lifted the United States out of the Great Depression. By the end of the war on August 14, 1945, when Japan surrendered, the United States was a global superpower. During WWII, 16 million men and women served in the war. Although women were barred from combat duty, they completed noncombatant tasks which changed the role that women play in war (761). Government advertisements promoted women to take work in industrial settings and millions responded. Women took jobs with wrenches and welding torches boosting the workforce and defying the traditional roles of women, earning the nickname “Rosie the Riveter.” At the beginning of the war, about 25% of women worked outside the home in traditional women jobs but the efforts of men in the war left wartime jobs begging for women (766). By the end of the war, 18 million women worked outside the home, 50% more than in 1939 earning substantial wages (767). The majority of women remained at home caring for children, but contributed to the war effort through planting vegetables, recycling, and purchasing war bonds. WWII employment was the ultimate showcase of the progress women had made since WWI. With combined incomes, most Americans had a lot of money in their pockets and were able to purchase movie tickets, cosmetics, and music. Following WWII, some women would face a challenging time during the second red scare. The investigation of feminists would lead to the unemployment of many due to anti-communism within the U.S. (Storrs, Landon R. Y.

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