Women's Role In Ww2 Essay

“During the war about half of American women worked outside of their homes,”( Hughes 2). The number of working women rose from fourteen point six million in nineteen forty one to nineteen point four million in nineteen forty four. “Women were not just motivated by wages or patriotism; but buy the feeling of independence that they gained from the work,” (Hughes 2). Without women laborers the US economy would have never been able to produce military hardware to be successful in the war. Even though women played a huge role in the work force during the World War II, they also played an even bigger role in the war itself. Women played several different roles in the actual war. “A few of women’s roles in the actual war of World War II would be army nurses, spies, pilots and entertainers,” (Scott3). Women served as army nurses during World War 11, there were than seven thousand active nurses on duty when the United States entered the war. “Women also served as pilots, on September tenth nineteen forty two, Nancy Harkness Love, with the support of th U.S. Air Transport Command, organized twenty five women pilots into the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (W.A.F.S),” (Scott3). Women pilots were used to serve non- combat flights, to free the men for combat flights. “Women spies of the World WarII , they were often successful and unsuspected since people suspected women that women’s properly roles were solely domestic,” (Scott3). Lastly

Women had different perspectives during World War 2. Many served in different branches of armed forces. Some labored in war productions plants. Most women stayed at home and had other responsibilities to raise children, balance check books, and some labored in war-related office jobs, while the men went to war. In addition to factory work and other front jobs about 350,000 women joined the Armed services, serving at home and abroad. “Rosie the Riveter,” later became a popular propaganda for women. While women worked in a variety of positions closed to them the industry saw the greatest increase in female’s workers. More than 310,000 women worked in the U.S. aircraft industry in 1943,

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.

When men got back from war the women were expected to go back to their housework and do what they did before the war. Rosie the Riveter was expected to dissipate and be forgotten, because women were no longer wanted or needed in the workplace. This created nationwide anger for many women that wanted to continue working and continue having freedom and a sense of importance. Most women swallowed their pride and went back to being housewives and caretakers. Rosie paved the way for gender equality and greater gains for women throughout society in decades ahead. Betty Friedan even said that the World War II female movement was “the feminine mystique” which was the title of a book she wrote that is still adored today. She wrote the book in 1962 and this sparked a renewed interest in women’s equality. Women wanted more females in the workplace and no discrimination due to gender for salary and the way women were treated in the workplace. Instead of men not hiring women because the fear of them becoming pregnant soon or just because they were women, women wanted to be respected and freed. As more and more people read the book and how it explained what women’s life was like people began to fight back. Women would hold protests in the streets holding signs high above their heads. Others got involved in the National Organization of Women (NOW) that focused on pro-equality. As time went on women were gaining more freedom again for the first time since WWII and from then on things changed. Betty Friedan once said, “What used to be the feminist agenda is now an everyday reality. The way women look at themselves, the way other people look at women, is completely different...than it was thirty years ago...Our daughters grow up with the same possibilities as our sons (“The”).” In conclusion, Rosie the Riveter was long-lasting after the war’s end and inspired women to pursue their dreams, which later on

Before the war, women in America had typical lives, and many were wives and mothers. America was brought into the war unexpectedly when Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941. Hundreds of thousands of men were drafted into the war, leaving the women behind. America lost a lot of valuable, hard-working men to fight, and they needed people to fill their positions. According to history.com’s article, “American Women in World War II”, it was then when Rosie the Riveter was created to recruit women to become part of the “work force” (“American Women in World War II”). Rosie the Riveter was a fictional character who motivated women across the U.S. to take jobs in different industries, many of which were previously all-male positions.

Ever since then women proved that they can work in a man’s workplace and do just as well. Any job that was a man’s, was a women’s as well. Women were soon “the most needed workers of all” according to Brenda Ralf Lewis. Factory workers became known as “the soldiers without guns”. If women hadn’t stepped up to the line, winning the war wouldn’t have been as easy as it was for us. Not only did the women in factories and shipyards have a big part in doing their part in the war contributions, but so did the women who were out on the field fighting alongside with their men risking their very life.

The World War that came as a result of the attack had a major effect on women. There was a sudden appearance of women in the military in auxiliary units and groups like the Women's Army Corps (WAC), the Army Nurses Corps, Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES), the Navy Nurses Corps, the Marines, and the Coast Guard, where they either worked as nurses, or other traditional women’s roles, or they filled men’s roles of non-combat jobs. Not only did they fill in for men in the military, women also filled in on the homefront. 6.3 million women joined the workforce during the war. The war also changed how women were seen in society, as shown by the popular symbol “Rosie the Riveter”.

Many women lives changed in many ways during World War II. Men went to war and went to work in factories in other parts of the country. With fewer men in the workforce, women had to fill more traditionally male jobs and had to pick up their husband's responsibilities. Most women thought there place was to be in the home and to take care of the wounded soldiers. Their main responsibility was cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children, and looking her best. Women were not only asked to complete daily chores and responsibilities that were normally expected of them, instead they were asked to go to work during war time. So when the war broke out, and it was clear that America would not be able to win the war without the help of their women. The traditional housewives and mothers turned into wartime workers. During World War II, many women found that their roles, opportunities, and responsibilities expanded dramatically. The hours they worked were long and some women had to move to where the factories were. Those who moved away were paid more. More than 1,000 women served as pilots associated with the US Air Force in the WASP (Women Airforce Service

Within a few years, the role of women morphed from a simple housewife to a hardworking war industry worker. With millions of men fighting in the war, employers turned to women to fill the empty jobs. Slogans, such as “The more women at

The early rush of volunteers and later the conscription of men led to a shortage of manpower on the home front. Women, already working in munitions factories were encouraged to take on jobs normally done by men.

Rosie the Riveter became a popular icon of World War II, representing all of the women who replaced the male workers who had gone off to fight in the war by working in shipyards, factories, and large industries. She was shown on posters boasting phrases such as “We Can Do It” and “It’s A Tradition With Us, Mister!” displaying the emphasis on female patriotism and significance in society. The contribution of these women on the Homefront was crucial because, without their support, the government would not have been able to maintain the fight overseas and soldiers would not have been able to continue the fight. The video, “No Exceptions: U.S. Women on the Homefront 1943,” emphasizes the importance of women’s contribution back home through a soldier who is writing a letter to his mother.

In 1942 the Women’s Army Corps was introduced. These women worked in more than 200 non- combatant jobs stateside and also every part of the war. They served not only as common nurses but also “within the ranks of the United States Army.” There was also the Women’s Army Corps introduced in 1942. This group of 1,100 women was asked to join and fly military aircraft, due to the shortage of pilots. Their job was to fly from factories to military bases and also different take off points around the country. Even though during their enlistment the WASP were supposed to become part of the military, after a couple years the program was cancelled. The last group the, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, was already established. After being absent for twenty-three years, they had to be reactivated because of WW2. While a large portion of these women did the job of secretarial and clerical they had other jobs they did. Thousands of WAVES performed duties in aviation, medical professions, communication, intelligence, science and technology. These military jobs and the other non-traditional jobs the women participated in made them almost like a ghost in their home front.

The early rush of volunteers and later the conscription of men led to a shortage of manpower on the home front. Women, already working in munitions factories were encouraged to take on jobs normally done by men.

As we know World War II was one of the toughest war for America, with men going out to fight against the Axis power woman stayed behind worried whether or not their husbands, brothers, and cousins would come back home with life or in a casket dead. During those hard times, women didn't just stay home like before they out and took the roles that women had never taken before. So today I am here to show you how women helped in the war and how after the war they were treated

The start of World War I marked a rise in the number of female factory workers. In factories, women mostly aided