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.
The war gave them the chance to work in a greater variety of jobs but most of these new jobs were lost at the end of the war. Fewer married women of all classes worked. In some cases, like teaching, they had to give up their jobs once they got married. But more working-class married women worked than women from other classes. In some parts of the country and in some occupations, such as the Lancashire textile mills, they were expected to carry on working after they married.
However, by the mid 1900’s women were finally allowed to go to school, have a sophisticated career and sometimes, make more than their husband. Women now lead busy lives and with high level education, and careers, some women choose not to get married and the divorce rate is over 50%. Women have gained a lot of respect. In the 1920’s, men thought they were better than women, however now, many women hold high positions of power including, MP’s, Prime Minister and Premiers. Women can have highly respected positions and have proved themselves as leaders.
We Can Do It Statistics show that during World War II the number of working American women jumped from nearly 9 million to 20 million merely because of a simple poster encouraging women (Wiki). This poster of a now well know woman, Rosie the Riveter, refer to a period in American history that can be considered the beginning of a major shift in the role of women. During World War II, when millions of men were conscripted or voluntarily joined the armed forces, defense plants in the United States had to continue producing needed artillery, weapons, and other goods for the war effort. At the time, reasonably few women worked outside the home, and even fewer would have worked in factories like those producing airplanes and other military goods. Enlisted to see to it that production did not decrease in this time of emergency, the female
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.
* During the war, women started to be employed in different types of jobs eg factory work, replacing the men who had gone to fight in the war in Europe. * Organisations such as the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) had been fighting for decades to get the vote for women. As women had contributed so much to the war effort, it was difficult to refuse their demands for
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.
During “The Good War”, many diverse groups were affected during this time. Groups such as Mexican Americans and immigrants were trying to make a way in the U.S., but had obstacles thrown at them, such as having to face racism and having their freedom constantly challenged. Immigrants, such as Japanese Americans and Koreans, also played a big role in how contraction was shown during “The Good War” due to laws and regulations set on them. The women played a significant role in the expansion of freedoms during the war. In “The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter”, their expansions of freedoms are shown throughout and include the ways in which they contributed in a positive way for the U.S.
In the 20th century, women in most nations won the right to vote, this in return increased their educational and job opportunities. Which is a good thing compared to tests that were done in the 1960s that showed that women’s scholastic achievement were higher in early grades than in high school because the teachers and families of girls did not expect them to peruse anything but being a wife and mother (wic.org). I would say that that we have come a long way from the early 20th century. Women in positions of power or women who want to work their way to a position of power still tend to have a glass ceiling over them. This is because history tells us that men hold these types of positions women are gaining and proving that they can do just as well as a man in a position of power.
This was actually a very important step towards women’s enfranchisement because during the war, women served the nation; doing factory work and men’s work in general. The fact that they were doing something useful to society served as proof that, contrary to the belief that women were “silly” and could not think for themselves, they could be a beneficial force in society. “The war emphasised the participation of women in the everyday life of the nation. It was obvious to all that women were driving vehicles, acting as bus conductors and filling many posts customarily held by men. As we might say today, women’s ‘public image’ changed and improved,” says Constance Rover, a historian.