There was a massive disruption of the industries in which women were mostly employed, such as dress-making and textiles. This, in the end, was actually a benefit. As war work became available, such as munitions factories, many of those women could now work in a higher paid job as well as do their part in the war effort. Women in the domestic services even left their jobs in order to work for higher paid jobs2. The first world war gave women more opportunity in the workplace as more occupations were open to them and the war also
A wider range of jobs became available to them, they gained more independence and weren’t viewed as second citizens but most importantly, World War One lead to women in Britain gaining the vote. Before the First World War, The majority of women stayed at home and their priorities were looking after the family and the house. Women were seen as the property of their husband. The variety of women’s jobs was very narrow and most women had never had a proper job in their lives. During the war, asso many men were involved in fighting, countless women had a job whether it was working in a munition factory, driving an ambulance or working for the transport of London.
Abigail Adams reminded her husband to not forget the women in the constitution which is significant because it was the beginning of women’s rights. Women also became more involved and interested in politics, to the distaste of most men. Many women followed their soldiers while at war and took care of the men. There were some women who acted in radical ways (ex. the New York City fire, riots, and letters), which hadn’t previously been so.
Using my own research i will discover whether the World War One had a positive effect on the role of women. After the immediate rise in female unemployment at the beginning of the war due to the ‘middle-classes wish to economise’ (first world war, accessed 07/01/09), the only option to replace the volunteers gone to front was to employ women in the jobs they had left behind. This was supported by all the major feminist groups, who suddenly ‘became avid patriots and organisers of the women in support of the war effort’ (war and gender, accessed 22/01/09). Overall women’s employment increased from ‘three million in 1914 to five million in 1918’ (Murphy, p373, 2000). For many of the women the war was ‘a genuinely liberating experience’ (first world war, accessed 07/01/09), and made the women feel useful as citizens.
The 1940s and 50s were a time of great change. World War 2 was won and lost depending on what side you were on. Everyone’s lives were changed. After the end of World War 2, women were expected to return to their pre war roles of a house wife. The government saw women in the workforce as a temporary change.
Many middle class women were unhappy about this, and after the freedoms and empowerment of women during Weimar they did not like the new constrictions – it seemed almost like a step back for them. However, financial incentives were given to women to stay home and have children, and awards were granted depending on how many children a woman had – the more children, the higher ranking the award. They were told that it was their responsibility to provide soldiers for the future. As a result of this, many more women became mothers than might have down normally. Married couples were encouraged to divorce if their partner was infertile and many women joined Nazi women’s organisations.
They wanted to change the way society thought of the female dancing body and liberate it of the strict constraints of traditional dance therefore also on a wider scale, liberating the female of traditional roles in society and at home. Although they were not politically active feminists, their thoughts and ideals and the issues they were dealing with were all related to the feminist movement of the time making them individual feminist thinkers. Their roles as choreographers and dancers put them in a central position in the feminist debates of the time which
How does "othello" reflect the themes, values and attitude of its context? Othello emulates the themes, values and attitudes of the Elizabethan time period through the use of themes such as; the role of women, honour and race. These are portrayed with dramatic and language techniques. The attitude and values of Elizabethan times can be found through analysis of Shakespearians play, Othello, through the theme of the role of women. The ideals about women are explored through 3 women characters, that being; Bianca, Desdemona and Emilia, where 5 general characteristics of women can be found.
According to Sandra Barkly women engage in disciplinary practices to produce docile bodies. These practices produce a body of a certain size, shape, adornment and bodily movement. For example women engage in certain disciplines, such as exercise and diet in order to be skinny or slender. Secondly, women engage in other disciplines, such as having cosmetic surgery on their stomachs, breast and other areas in order to achieve a shapely figure, which is in most instances, a big bust, a small waist and a muscular butt. Thirdly regarding bodily movement there are certain gestures and postures that women are suppose to adhere to, for example it is required or assumed that whenever a women sits down she must sit with her legs together or crossed which is one thigh over the other this implies that women take up less space while men sit with their legs open or with one ankle crossed over the other.
The meaning of the poem Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou is the idea that all women are beautiful and that beauty is found in the way that a woman carries herself. The speaker suggests that beauty is determined not by whether a woman looks a model, but whether she has her head on her shoulders, confidence, grace and the ability to not let