Women After World War 2 Summary

In the Lectures in History: Women in the Workforce after World War II, by Professor Robyn Muncy, states, “The most important task is to dispel the notion that American women workers went home after World War II; American women did not go home after World War II”. Professor Muncy’s lecture is to examine the lives of working American women in the era after World War II and their labor market experiences through the late 20th century.
Before World War II, the prevailing image of women’s role were that of “housewives” and “mother”. World War II led to dramatic changes for the American women. “Wartime scarcities led to increased domestic labor” according to the history book, Created Equal: A History of the United States. Because of the high demand

of domestic labor during this time, women were able to work and earn higher wages. Furthermore, “as a result of the combined incentives of patriotism and good wages, many women took “men’s job” while the men went off to fight” (Created Equal). On the other hand, Muncy states that according to personnel of American Corporations and government sources “women were coming into war industries because of patriotism-they wanted to help their country win the war”. Even though women did want to support and help win the war, they were still seeking for work or already working before the war.
Although, during wartime women were able to work and earn higher pay, they were forced to go back to working for lower wages after the war. The most common question asked is “Why we believe that women workers left the wage labor after World War II”? There was constant contradictions through publicity, pamphlets, media, and interviews of working women of the actual experiences of women labor during WWII. According to Muncy, instead of being “pushed out”, they were “pushed down” in the labor market. “Women workers did not retire to domesticity”, they continued to work because “they had to”. Also, Muncy points out that women earn low wages, because of the belief that women work for “fun”, and not for the “economic necessity”. Furthermore, employers assume that women have “other support” to fall on. For this reason, it continues the trend of lower wages of women today.
During the post war era (1945-1965), women were not allowed to change gender roles of labor.

Muncy states that “same occupations that were dominated in the late nineteenth century “continued throughout the 1950’s. From 1946-1964, younger women began bearing more children which “created the demographic bulge known as the baby boom” (Created Equal). As the growth occurred, new schools were built. In results, there was a high “demand for more school teachers” (Muncy). Because of the necessity of more teachers, marriage bars for teaching declined by the late 1950’s. Therefore, older women were able to continue teaching even if they were married or desired to get married. Not only schools were being built, but community hospitals were built as well: through government and corporate funding. Additionally, “Health care became centralized”, so there was a need for more nurses, states Muncy. Hospitals offered onsite daycares to keep mothers working. As the expansion of the American economy rose, more job opportunities became available to the American women such as secretaries, office workers and

bookkeepers.
Along with the employment opportunities, a breakthrough for the union movement occurred in the 1950’s.

By 1956, “18%” of women joined the unions. Muncy states “Through their union, there was enough women” to negotiate for women to receive paid maternity leave, maintain seniority and health insurance began to cover child birth. The union also asked for “equal pay”. According to the history book, Created Equal, “Labor union membership grew 50 percent, reaching an all-time high by the end of the war”. Muncy mentions, Addie Wyatt-African American women who worked for a meat packing industry in the early 1950’s. Wyatt was elected vice-president of the United Packing Housing Union, by her union local. Not only did Wyatt succeed to become a leader of labor union, but also redefined the role of women in the general labor movement. Eleanor Roosevelt “most admired women” in the 1950’s, Daisy Bate, and Rosa Parks, were also mentioned by Muncy. These women were important women who stood for what they believed in.
Middle age mothers between the ages of 30-40, began “flooding into the labor market” after World War II, according to Muncy. By this age, women had raised their children to a school age. Since the children were at an age where they started attending school, it made it possible for mothers to work. Muncy claims, that “the pattern was to leave temporarily and come back to work”. In contrast, there was a shift after 1965, women who had really young children, the women’s labor participation

increased and “childcare was an issue” (Muncy).
During the 1970’s, there was a dramatic change in the women’s labor market. In results, women began to “enter work in management, medicine, law, and clergy” (Muncy). Although, it was “harder for women to work Blue Collar jobs, such as firefighter and plumbing, rather than white collar jobs” states Muncy. By the 1980’s, the wage gap started to “close in” according to Muncy. Although, the equality of pay has changed throughout the years, it is still an issue today.
What I found the most interesting idea in the lecture, was how women struggled in the past, to prove that she was capable of doing a “man’s job” and not get equal pay. Still, women continue to struggle for the same issue today. Although, women have struggled, strong women have fought for what they believe in, and continue to fight.