Some women “felt they were needed at home to raise families, crops for food and to fill the jobs that the men had vacated in order to serve their country.”(Suite101) Women’s lives on the home front during World War II were a significant part of the war effort for all participants and had a major impact on the outcome of the war. Once the men went off to war and left their jobs, the women that were single had a great advantage because job opportunities were everywhere. In the other hand married women had a tough time, especially if they had children. Hundreds of women worked in machine shops, welding shops, manufacturing plants, and also worked in war industries to make equipment for the war. New industries, naval, and army bases were being built during the home front.
Coming from all walks of life, there were those already working who switched to higher-paying defense jobs, those who had lost their jobs due to the Depression, and then there were the women who worked at home. Rosie the Riveter was the idol for these working women also she was known as the cover girl for the recruiting campaign. By 1944, 16 percent of all working women held jobs in war industries. While an estimated 18 million women worked during the war, there was growing concern among them that when the war was over, it would never be the same again. That new venture for American women would soon come to an end.
Even famous Rosie the Riveter once said, “We Can Do It!” (Panchyk 57) Women played a huge role in World War II. One of the important roles was working in the military. They served in all three services, Army, Air Force and Navy. When the government was recruiting women into the Army, they made it sound glamorous. When the women joined the Army, they did not get glamorous jobs.
Women felt they were treated equally prior to the war; however, that changed after US’ occupation in Iraq. Not only in the aspect of the work force but daily activities as well. Riverbend comments on how most women lost their jobs or risked their lives if they worked. Also, men carried guns, giving them a sense of power, and that they were dominant over women. Additionally, women could not leave the house after the war without being accompanied by a male.
The role of women before, after, and during World War II was very diverse to say the least but women's lives changed in many ways during World War II. Many women found their roles and opportunities and responsibilities expanded, as they did in previous wars. Husbands went to war or went to work in factories in other parts of the country, and the wives had to pick up their husbands' responsibilities. With fewer men in the workforce, women filled more traditionally-male jobs. In the military, women were banned from combat duty, so women were called on to fill some jobs that men had performed, to free men for combat duty.
World War I affected many people during its time of war. WWI was known as the war that ended without any country knowing why it started in the first place. From the mid 1914 to late 1918, the lives of women and men changed for the better. The war impacted the men who had to leave their job to support the battle and the women who kept up with the jobs in order to keep the war running. The women went from running the house to running the factory.
599). The union organizers wanted to improve working conditions for women during this era. Informing as many women as possible to protest for better working conditions as well as better pay. Since the nineteenth century women in the workforce have been under hostile conditions. Women continue to suffer penalties in the workforce for having children while working a job.
How did some women try to force to government to employ more women? Emmeline Pankhurst, a leading suffragette, campaigned vigorously with one of her daughters, Christabel, to have women more involved in the war effort. The Pankhursts organised “The Right to Serve” procession in 1915 in which 60,000 women took part. The government was soon forced to change its mind and allow women into industry and other traditionally “male” jobs. It was the only way to keep up production.
Women’s Roles Throughout the history of the United States, women have held many different roles in social, political and economic classes. Before the Civil War, a woman had a traditional role in the home, working as a housewife. The fight for equal and voting rights started but was unfortunately not continued until after the war. With new technology and industrial advances, women’s roles in the work force increased immensely and obtained many new opportunities. Although before the Civil War, women rarely took a part in society, the war significantly changed women’s roles in many ways.
They also wanted the right to have their own possessions, to divorce their husbands, and to keep their children after divorce. Women were great supporters of World War I. Many women became nurses. Nursing wasn't for everyone, but the job had to be done. Women entertained troops with songs and dancing, and also with lectures, dramatic reading, and poetry.