POSTWAR WOMEN Essay Research Paper Postwar WomenWorld

POSTWAR WOMEN Essay, Research Paper

Postwar Women

World War Two has often been described as a turning point in the battle for equality between men and women. From the beginning, women were always struggling to gain status, respect, and rights in their society. Prior to World War Two, a woman’s role in society was seen as someone who cooked, cleaned, and gave birth. The years during and following the war marked a turning point in the battle for equality. Women, for once, were being seen as individuals with capabilities outside the kitchen, and we’re for the first time given a chance to prove themselves.

On December 7, 1942, Pearl Harbor was bombed and FDR declared war. This marked the entry of the US into World War Two, a war which has been going on in Europe for almost 2 years prior. The start of World War II opened a new chapter in the lives of women living in America. From coast to coast, husbands, fathers, sons and brothers shipped out to fight in Europe.

With the entry of the US and the absence of large quantities of men, the demand for supplies increased, and women were called out of the kitchen and into the workforce. Posters, banners, and jingles were all aspects that helped encourage women’s entrance into the workforce. Millions marched into factories, offices, and military bases. The demand for labor was so great, that a poll taken that year showed that only 13% of the population opposed females entering the workforce.

Women’s occupations varied from war nurses and cooking for the army, to making bombs and making weapons. Other occupations flourished, as well. Women photographers, writers, and reports were for once given a chance. The war offered women opportunity never given to them before. “The war has given women a chance to show what they can do in the world, and they have done well.”(Craig,4). Women were given freedom and a chance to live the American dream.

In 1910 till about 1940, women’s employment rate was as low as only 13%. By June of 1942, females held 55% of all jobs. Nineteen million women were all employed by 1945. Women worked in fields that prior to the war seemed only suitable for men. They held positions such as manufactures of heavy machinery, to welders in a shipyard.

This new employment opening also, for the first time, gave women a salary of their own. Women received better pay, improved and new skills, and the self-esteem that comes with receiving income, freedom, and opportunity. Women were given a chance to make their own decisions, without the advice of their husbands, brothers, or fathers. The financial situation was entirely up to them. They made and managed their monthly budgets, and decided where and how to spend their money. ” The war changed everybody’s lives. You just bought everything. I was buying these fox furs and all of these things. I could just buy anything”.(Craig,4)

Also during the war, women were being admitted into Unions. They protected a women’s wages and was the cause of it rising. Previously, a Union never protected female employees. Once they were admitted, the War Labor Board helped many of the changes to occur. Unions helped abolish an employers incentive to hire a female over a male, with the “Equal pay for equal work”. In addition, Unions helped provide protection and benefits of a job, and helped increase salaries.

A documentary entitled The Life and Times of Rosie the Riverter, focused on five women whose lives changed due to the war. Lola Weixel, Margaret Wright, Lyn Childs, Gladys Belcher, and Wanita Allen, were women who were employed before the war, and then after. The document told of how prior to the war, they were employed at low paying, low skilled jobs, and were excluded from “heavy industries”. They were receiving such a small income, that they were all forced to rely on men for financial support. With the entrance of the war, their salaries, and their positions in the workforce all rose dramatically.

The Allies’ final push in the summer of 1945 brought World War II to a close. With the end of the war, came the pressure for females to return to “where they belong”. All the women who took jobs during the war, were now all expected to make room for the returning men.

The returning veterans were all unemployed and in need of work. The government’s solution to the problem was to force women out of their jobs in order to make room for the men. The same as they were encouraged into the labor force, they were encouraged out of it. Posters, movies, and articles were posted to help push females to leave their jobs and return to their homes.

Despite the pressure, women were not so quick to return to the kitchen. They were for the first time, given freedom, and allowed a chance. Women across the nation were less than willing to give it back and return to their old way of life. Women began questioning the role they played in society, and began demanding equal opportunities. A poll taken in 1945, by the Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor, showed the . of the female workers wished to keep and their jobs, and continue working outside the home. The years following World War II were crucial in the history of American women, and their struggle for equality.

The battle for women’s rights has existed for many years prior. Women, such as Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, dedicated their lives to help