World War 1 Gender Roles Research Paper

When the First World War began in 1914, there was much discussion regarding the proper gender roles for British men and women. For men, the course of action seemed clear that they should enlist and fight. Yet, many men struggled under the pressure of warfare. For women, it was unclear how they should be involved in the war effort. Many men wanted the women to keep their traditional gender roles of taking care of the household. However, the lack of male workers on the home front required women to take on different work roles. The women received a great deal of praise and positive attention for their work as nurses, munitions workers, and military auxiliaries. However, men were critical

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.

Prior to the First World War, the jobs men and women held were based primarily on societal constructions of gender: men typically had free choice of their profession and the direction they went hinged largely on their social standing whereas women in the workforce were segregated to work in very specific fields. These fields were largely based on the roles women traditionally held in the home including: housework and textiles. In Great Britain , for example, the majority of the approximately 1.7 million women working most worked in the clothing, textile and house work industries. There were the few who challenged societal expectation, however women were generally required to remain within the spheres of domesticity.

The contribution of women to the war effort changed drastically throughout World War One and the 1920’s. Their role in the beginning of the war was not very significant. Women, for the most part, were expected to be primarily involved in "duties at home" and "women's work" but as time progressed, their roles during the war changed drastically due to employment, The Person’s Case and the change of women in society. Women's involvement in the war effort undoubtedly helped Canada win the war.

Today I'm going to be talking to you about Women in World War One, around 500,000 men enlisted for world war 1. Which began on July 28th 1914, the population in Australia at this time was just under 5 million people so that meant around 38% of the male population went to war. When the men went off to fight in the war there were not enough working males, so women had to start working in jobs that were considered male rolls, they did jobs that they had done before the war started like textile manufacturing but when the men went to war they got to do jobs that had not been available to them before such as banking even working as police officers. Lillian May Armfield was the first Australian Female police officer, she was born in 1884 the

While, the men were fighting the Germans and the Japanese, women stayed home. The majority of people might say women did nothing in World War II, but they did. They changed history forever by working outside the house (“The Women of”). The women of World War II proved females can be of equal greatness of men by being reliable, hard-working patriots for America. How could the women of World War II change history forever?

Women's roles change over the years in both World War I and World War II such as the women had to play as the men and women in the household when he men went off to war and fight for the country,

Society on both sides varied in terms of race, social class, and gender. This included both for African Americans and the general women population. Though women played an important role in the war as spies or nurses women were mostly discouraged in medical administration and military service. They had to prove whether they were worthy for the job by being able to withstand grisly conditions especially full of male strangers. Some women craved fighting which led to some incidences where women disguised as men to fight in the war; these were the “woman in battle”. Women did many other things other than medical work which included serving meals, sending letters to soldiers, and laundry. Nevertheless, women were mostly restricted from military service. They had to be highly skilled otherwise would be of no

World War II was the most massive and murderous equipped combat in the history of humankind. Working women, within and outside of the military, quickly became a crucial part of the US’ armed forces during WWII. Women’s involvement evolved over this time and eventually led to women’s rights movements throughout the United States. From promoting war bonds to recording locations of aircraft, women played a major role in the war effort. Without women, the turnout of WWII may have looked very different.

Women's roles changed in World War II for the better. Whether they were in the military, in which they enrolled in large numbers for the first time in American history, manufacturing tanks, or even just making money to buy war bonds, the U.S. might be under Nazi or Japanese control today without them. The same goes for minorities in World War II. The African American Tuskegee Airmen shot down over 250 enemy planes, and African American leader A. Philip Randolph's demand to outlaw job discrimination, which was brought into action by Franklin D. Roosevelt, paid off in the war production. Native Americans used the Navajo language as code talkers, 13 Latinos won the Medal of Honor, and even Japanese Americans won glory on the battlefield.

The women in World War 2 (1935-1945) were given a much more active role than the women in World War 1. They were significantly beneficial to the success of the allied forces fighting not only in Australia but all over the world. Their contribution not only to the military but to the continued growth of the country was outstanding in so many ways. They had to quickly learn skills which traditionally were male dominated and this included jobs which involved heavy labour and long hours for very little or no pay whilst trying to maintain in many cases a stable family life. (Australia.gov, 2015) If not for these women’s contribution during the Second World War Australia could have very well have been in a different situation than it is currently.

If you were born right now, this instant, at you’re present age without any knowledge about how women used to be treated, the assumption could be made that men and women are basically equal. Yes, men are a little stronger physically, but overall the two sexes are both equal. Things weren’t always so picturesque, though. Since people first settled here, on what is now the United States of America, women were thought of as inferior. Ever so slowly though, the men’s view on women began to change. The change started in the 1920’s but it was going slowly and needed a catalyst. World War II was that catalyst. So much so that women ended up participating in the rise of the United States to a global power.

Prior to the United States entering into World War I most women served in a domestic role, either in their own home or the home of someone else. Many women kept their own gardens for food, for example. They would sew their own clothing and care for their husband and children. Women performed most of the cooking and cleaning of the home, and while some women did work outside of the home, they were employed in “women’s work” such as bakeries and teaching. Additionally, women were not considered an equal to men, and were not allowed to vote.

The role of women in war has varied significantly throughout British History. During world War 1 womens role was constricted as many worked in the industry of textiles , knitting and munitions. This said they played a pivotal role in the war effort as 23.8 million in britain were all working. Voluntary and paid positions were taken up as unfamiliar roles to women, Nevertherless this was recquired in order to sustain the living of many families. World War 1 illustrated the capability of women in wokring across a variety of fields. However the effort from women was arguably taken out of context. Despite the rise in pay , women still earned less then men. They held the responisibility of working as a generation of men went to fight. This covered munitions, police patrols and even nursing.Women worked in horendous conditions and accidents were far too frequent in factories. A TNT plant killed 73 people and also leading to the destruction of nearby homes. Furthermore the collective effort was extraordinary , the workers of one factory in Gloucestershire within the four years filled over 17 million shells(BBC world war 1).Opportunities in civil service increased by 1,751 %.

World War I made a colossal impact on all aspects of human life and almost everyone in Europe was affected by this impact to different degrees as a consequence. One group in particular, most often illustrated as a real turning point, largely in enfranchisement and employment, were women.