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Women During World War II

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The beginning of World War II saw Australians see war on their shores for the first time, as well as having to travelling overseas to fight another war. It required young men to leave their country to fight, this affected the women who were left behind. World War II started in 1939 and ended in 1945. World War II was a large world conflict. During this world conflict Australia was under the threat of attack for the first time. When the war started there was a lack of man power on the home front which led to women having to step up and join the workforce. Women had many roles to be played in this epidemic, both on the home front and overseas. They were expected to undertake roles that they had never been encouraged to undertake before. During this time women had to make many sacrifices. The war changed women’s lives in the long term in a large way. Australian women played a large role in Australia’s war effort, both overseas and on the home front. Overseas women mainly acted as nurses but they were also allowed to fight for the first time. In World War I, women were considered too fragile to fight so they were not allowed to serve in the armed forces but when World War II started women were allowed to serve in the armed forces. Women were not permitted to hold combat positions, they were allowed to hold service rank in the army, air force and navy. Their tasks usually involved clerical duties, but many servicewomen performed traditionally male tasks such as signalling,

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