The Effect of World War II on American Woman World War II has affected the world in huge ways, from economics to finances. The Germans started the war in 1939 and the U.S. did not get involved until 1941 by “declaring war on Japan” (History.com Staff). When the U.S. entered the war, many men were drafted for the war and left a lot of job openings that needed to be filled. Because of the lack of men in the workforce, the presence of working women increased during World War II; and it was the first time women had a chance to prove that they were just as good as men when it comes to working jobs, and this offered companies to grow in the economy. As men went off to war and left jobs unattended, women filled in to keep the economy afloat and to …show more content…
“Each branch of the armed forces formed their own auxiliary corps for women. As the situation became more desperate, some women were called on to serve over-seas, particularly in New Guinea. They worked on observation posts and as anti-craft gunners, drivers, mechanics and radio operators” (Egros). The women were directed to look out of oncoming enemies, they would gun down enemy planes, drive around the base, operate machinery, and operate the radios for the generals. Women have better eyesight, making them better for lookout and anti-craft shooters because they can identify more colors and can identify objects better than men when they are far away. Women also covered shops, drove and helped in the kitchen to feed the soldiers then they were on break. They usually took the non-combat positions considering there was over 338,000 women. “While 10 million men were drafted, the women also served in the armed forces. The more help that was available outside of the war zone, the more supplies they had, the more vehicles they had, and more men could go out to fight” (Stokesbury). Factories consisted of mainly male employees, but when women stepped in to help, they did a well enough job as the …show more content…
General Eisenhower felt that he could have not won the war without the aid of women in uniform. “The contribution of the women of America, whether on the farm or in the factory or in uniforms, D-Day was a sine qua non on of the invasion effort” (Women in World War II). Eisenhower was grateful of the women in uniform for doing what they did for their country. Whether it was on the farm, in the army, factories and anywhere else they did their part. Eisenhower wanted to thank the women of America for their help, for what they had to give up in order to help the military and the
During the time of 1940-1945 a big whole opened up in the industrial labor force because of the men enlisting. World War II was a hard time for the United States and knowing that it would be hard on their work force, they realized they needed the woman to do their part and help in any way they can. Whether it is in the armed forces or at home the women showed they could help out. In the United States armed forces about 350,000 women served at home and abroad. The woman’s work force in the United States increased from 27 percent to nearly 37percent, and by 1945 nearly one out of every four married woman worked outside the home. This paper will show the way the United States got the woman into these positions was through propaganda from
...wise you were to bring your women into your military and into your labor force. Had we done that initially, as you did, it could well have affected the whole course of the war. We would have found out as you did, that women are equally effective, and for some skills, superior to males." (Albert Speer, head of Nazi war production)
During the war, women played a vital role in the workforce because all of the men had to go fight overseas and left their jobs. This forced women to work in factories and volunteer for war time measures.
World War Two was the period where women came out of their shells and was finally recognized of what they’re capable of doing. Unlike World War One, men weren’t the only ones who were shined upon. Women played many significant roles in the war which contributed to the allied victory in World War Two. They contributed to the war in many different ways; some found themselves in the heat of the battle, and or at the home front either in the industries or at homes to help with the war effort as a woman.
World War II opened a new chapter in the lives of Depression-weary Americans. The United States of America had an unusual importance in the war, it had been spared the physical destruction that had taken place throughout the world. Americans on the home front did not see the fighting and brutality as other countries experienced it. However, the events and changes on the home front due to the World War transformed America. One of the greatest conversions was that of the American woman. Women around the country were transformed from the average house wife into a person with a voice and most importantly a purpose.
World War I and industrialization both brought greater economic autonomy to American women. With immigration curtailed and hundreds of thousands of men needed for the armed forces, women’s labor became a wartime necessity. About 1.5 million women worked in paying jobs during the war, with many more employed as volunteers or secretaries and yeomen for the Army, Navy, and Marines (James and Wells, 66). Women retained few of those 1.5 million jobs after men returned from war, but the United States’ industrialized postwar economy soon provided enough work for men and women alike. Once confined to nursing, social work, teaching, or secretarial jobs, women began to find employment in new fields. According to Allen, “They ...
Because many men were involved in the war, women finally had their chance to take on many of the positions of a man. Some women served directly in the military and some served in volunteer agencies at home and in France. For a brief period, from 1917 to 1918, one million women worked in industry. Others not involved in the military and industry engaged in jobs such as streetcar conductors and bricklayers. But as the war started to end, women lost their jobs to the returning veterans.
The labor shortage that occurred as men entered the military propelled a large increase in women’s entrance into employment during the war. Men's return to the civilian workforce at the end of the war caused the sudden drop to prewar levels. The cause of the sudden decline during post-war years of women in the paid workforce is unclear. Many questions are left unanswered: What brought women into the war industry, and what caused them to leave?
When all the men were across the ocean fighting a war for world peace, the home front soon found itself in a shortage for workers. Before the war, women mostly depended on men for financial support. But with so many gone to battle, women had to go to work to support themselves. With patriotic spirit, women one by one stepped up to do a man's work with little pay, respect or recognition. Labor shortages provided a variety of jobs for women, who became street car conductors, railroad workers, and shipbuilders. Some women took over the farms, monitoring the crops and harvesting and taking care of livestock. Women, who had young children with nobody to help them, did what they could do to help too. They made such things for the soldiers overseas, such as flannel shirts, socks and scarves.
The women during the war felt an obligation to assist in one form or another. Many stayed at home to watch over the children, while others felt a more direct or indirect approach was necessary. Amongst the most common path women took to support the war, many "served as clerks...filled the ammunition cartridges and artillery shells with powder at armories, laboring at this dangerous and exacting task for low wages. Both sides utilized women in these capacities (Volo 170)." Women that stayed away from battlefields supported their respected armies by taking the jobs that men left behind. They were the grease in the gears of war, the individuals working behind the scenes so that the men would be prepared, ready to fight with functioning weapons and operational gear.
This left a gap in the defense plants that built wartime materials, such as tanks and other machines for battle. As a result, women began to enter the workforce at astonishing rates, filling the roles left behind by the men. As stated by Cynthia Harrison, “By March of [1944], almost one-third of all women over the age of fourteen were in the labor force, and the numbers of women in industry had increased almost 500 percent. For the first time in history, women were in the exact same place as their male counterparts had been, even working the same jobs. The women were not dependent upon men, as the men were overseas and far from influence upon their wives.
The 1940’s was an interesting and critical time for the United States of America. World War II began in the late 1930’s and moved on into the 1940’s. The United States Army joined in 1941 and “when the United States entered World War II, every aspect of life in America was affected by the conflict” (The 1940’s). New opportunities arose for women because of all the men out at war, so women had the chance to show off their skills and capabilities. They operated machines in factories and worked with heavy artillery. If a person did not fight the war for their country, they made weapons for the brave soldiers. This caused a drastic increase in the growth of the economy in the United States.
During the Great War and the huge amount of men that were deployed created the need to employ women in hospitals, factories, and offices. When the war ended the women would return home or do more traditional jobs such as teaching or shop work. “Also in the 1920s the number of women working raised by fifty percent.” They usually didn’t work if they were married because they were still sticking to the role of being stay at home moms while the husband worked and took care of the family financially. But among the single women there was a huge increase in employment. “Women were still not getting payed near as equally as men and were expected to quit their jobs if they married or pregnant.” Although women were still not getting payed as equally it was still a huge change for the women's
“The War led to a dramatic rise in the number of women working in the United States; from 10.8 million in March, 1941, to more than 18 million in August, 1944…” (Miller). Although the United States couldn’t have been as successful in the war without their efforts, most of
Women have long been tagged to stereotypes that are related to weakness and inferiority against men. This is the perception that I, as a woman, want to change, because in reality, women can really do the things that men can do, sometimes, even better. Being great contributors during the time of war, especially inside the war factories history has proven that women they were a significant part of the workforce. It is during that time when there was a high demand for women to work in war factories and other places like farms. Women who worked during that time became one of the positive highlights of the war.