There may be a lot of focus on the male soldiers in World War 2, but women played huge roles in the war in many Allied countries. When Germany declared war on Britain, the Brits responded by enlisting around 7,000 women into the British Women's Land Army. However, this program was suspended due to fears that Britain would starve without American food, and the women were told to go to work in factories or farms instead. They eagerly did despite earning about half as much as their male counterparts, and they even went on strike for better wages. Women were also allowed to join the British Army, Air Force, and Navy. They were often in unglamorous
positions as drivers, anti-aircraft gun manners, or mess hall workers. Women in the Air Force would work with radar and would even fly new planes to their new airfields. British women were also recruited as spies and were dropped with parachutes into France, where they tried to learn information from the Germans.
Despite their contributions to the war, American women faced difficulty after the war. Female veterans struggled to take advantage of the G.I. Bill even though they had served. Women were also forced out of their jobs after the war when men returned and were encouraged to go back into the home. Despite this, it is clear that their contributions to the war were essential and helped the Allies win.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/women-wwii
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-role-of-british-women-in-world-war-ii.html
It is very interesting how so many women were directly involved in the war. I did not know that al these women were involved in the military. Another important role that American women played in the war effort was that they took up jobs in factories while the men were enlisting in the military. In fact, between 1940 and 1945 female percentage of the US workforce increased from 27% to 37% and in 1945 nearly 1/4 married women worked outside of the house. Women also working in defense plants and volunteered for war-related organizations. Overall, they played a major role in the war effort.
ReplyDeleteSources:
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/women-wwii
history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1
I found the involvement of women interesting and looked more into how this changed public perception of women as well as Feminist movements that occurred as a result of this. One important icon as a result of WWII was "Rosie the Riveter", who is most widely known as the poster girl of the "We can do it!" poster. Such examples turned American public attention away from Glamour girls and restrictive domestic icons and focused more on the public participation of women to help the war effort.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.history.com/news/how-world-war-ii-empowered-women