Ww2 American Women

During World War II there were many job opportunities for women. The war opened new doors during a time of depression. As husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers went to fight in the war the women went to work at factories, offices, and even on military bases. These women went to work in paying jobs that were usually for men. Many women became journalists, photographers and broadcasters. They were covering the biggest story ever, the men that were at war and the women that were at home doing the man’s work. Women even joined the military. They were not put in front line positions but they did important jobs and many lost their lives. During the war it was not only the white

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.

In the past, WWII and WWI, women were very dominant; they had to take care of their children, do all the chores and also had to cook the food. During WWII, women had to take place for the men (First world war.com). The war changed the life for all Canadian women. When men went to fight, women were called upon to fill their jobs, and this included many jobs that were previously thought of unsuitable for women. Women were called up for war work from March 1941(Women during World War II). The roles of the women were positively impacted by World War II, because they had the potential to re-enter the workforce, control the farms and join the military for the first time. Taking control of the military was tough, but women had shown that they could work together and handle the situation.

“Temporarily at least, the war caused a greater change in women's economic status and outlook than a prior half century of reform and rhetoric had been able to achieve.” ”The Federal government encouraged housewives to join the workforce as a patriotic duty.” Once they needed the women to work for America,it was promoted through various forms of propaganda that taking on the male's role was the best thing to do. “Immediately after the war, the percentage of women who worked fell as factories converted to peacetime production and refused to rehire women.” It was expected that the women were going to keep their jobs, even when their men had come home, but instead the women were fired in order for men to be hired.

War is often a time of bloody battles and numerous casualties; on both sides of the playing field. World War II was one of the bloodiest wars in history; it not only involved the mass genocide of a specific group of people, but it also brought on major changes in America. As a result of the war, many opportunities would open up for women in the work force. When the men were off fighting the war, there was a need for employees to take over the jobs that the men had to do. The emergence of women in the work field served as a catalyst for major events that would take place later on, like the Civil Rights Movement. The idea of “what it means to be a woman” in American society was put to the test, and throughout the war, women would have to constantly fight for their place in society; and the work force. The question arises, “was World War II a good war?” The previously stated question can be answered in a number of ways; race and ethnicity often had a hand in what jobs women could do, and social class also had an impact on what job position women had and how much money they would earn. To best answer the question, “was World War II a good war”; the different experiences of; African American, Japanese, and White women need to be analyzed in order to better understand whether World War II was a “good war”.

The carefree attitude of the younger generation was attributed to the psychological trauma caused by the unprecedented casualty level of the war. This generation had the theory that each day might be the last, therefore lived it to the fullest. This mental change was accompanied by a change in the physical styles of women. Fashion trends that were held in high regard by tradition were challenged to demonstrate the new risqué way of life.

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.

Gilderlehrman.org announced, “The number of working women rose from 14,600,000 in 1941 to 19,370,000 in 1944. In the later year, 37 percent of all adult women were in the labor force. At the peak of the industrial effort, women constituted 36 percent of the civilian work force.” ("The World War II Home Front"). The total population of women workers were growing majorly. Women were making movements across the country due to working in factories. More women actually enjoyed working in factories rather than their housewife job. More women started expanding their culture due to it. A major impact to women was Rosie the Riveter. Rosie the Riveter was a woman figure who was all over articles to encourage women of any age to step out of their comfort zone, and encouraged them to take a part in helping out with the war. Gilderlehrman.org states “But then the

The U.S. government worked with advertising agencies, women’s magazines, radio producers, and movie makers to persuade women to take jobs outside the home. A fictional character named Rosie the Riveter was often used for this purpose. This character appeared on posters and in popular songs to promote work as a patriotic duty for women. “Rosie was usually depicted as a temporary worker, typically a middle-class housewife who left her comfortable home to serve her country and who was eager to return to housework and domestic life after the war”(2).” Despite this portrayal, however, a large percentage (close to 80%) of women who held wartime industrial jobs had already been employed before the war in the types of low-wage women’s jobs mentioned above”(2).

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

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 book I chose tells about the experiences and contributions of American women during World War II. This book is a collection of documents to include photographs, official reports, newspaper articles, executive orders, scripts from radio broadcast, letters that were written and some oral history. With all the documentation this book tells how women were challenged in their gender roles and the stereotypes through their time of war at home and in war. They also highlight the various motivations for serving, the patriotism to the chance to learn new skills and how they gained financial stability with independence. It talks about many cultural, social, political, and economic standpoints on how women participated in World War II. The way

World War II meant a decline in the economy and refraining from luxuries. The demand for supplies was a key factor in helping America win the war. Therefore, civilians were forced to sacrifice their nonessentials, with clothing and beauty products being the most difficult for women to eliminate from their lives. Therefore, women made efforts to keep fashion alive, even if it required endless creativity and thrifty tactics. Looking back on the war and how it sparked innovation and creativity, is shocking. Very few people would have expected the fashion industry to survive through World War II, let alone sky-rocket and change the way women dressed forever. Although women’s fashion was expected to fall along with the economy of World War II, the under-funded industry overcame the economic crisis against all odds. First, the pressure to conserve materials for the war guided women toward a more thrifty wardrobe. Secondly, women who took over the workforce changed their fashion styles for the sake of safety and practicality. Lastly, Cosmetics were re-designed to boost morale and allow women to express their femininity to counteract the masculine and man-like duties that women fulfilled during the war.

The Effect of World War II on American Women America entered the 2nd World War in December 1940 after the Japanese Air force attacked American war ships at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. They fought alongside Britain and France against Nazi Germany and her allies. Although many American soldiers were injured and killed in the war, the impact on Americans back home was generally positive, as the US was too far away from Europe to suffer from bombing etc. America was far better off than it had been before.

Throughout the twentieth century, both World War I and World War II significantly impacted American society in several ways. From 1917 to 1918, the United States’ involvement in World War I began an increase in the number of women in the workplace that would steadily continue throughout much of the twentieth century. The United States once again played a major role in World War II from 1941 to 1945, and this war is actually seen as a turning point for women in the workplace. During the two world wars, women workers were impacted by discrimination, the danger of the work they completed, and the portrayal of women in propaganda during both world wars, and yet the different time periods of the two world wars led to differences in how women