The Changing Role Of Women During World War One
As World War 1, then World War 2 started, most men went to go serve in the war, and people were needed to fill in ordinary, and extraordinary, roles throughout society. In order to keep the country running, women had to transition from being an ordinary housewife to something more. While peacetime mainly consisted of women cooking, taking care of children and chores, war permitted women to join the workforce and the military which enabled women to become more vocalized in society. Peacetime and wartime experiences drastically changed women’s identity from a group of domesticated housewives to an independent woman. Because of this war time experience, women realized that they could do all of a man’s responsibilities but still wouldn’t
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As said above, with men away to serve in the military and demands for war material increasing, manufacturing jobs opened up to women and upped their earning power. Women entered these jobs, excelled, and enjoyed the work, the good pay, the opportunities for advancement, and the excitement of working with other women and men on important jobs that needed to be done for the war. Most wanted to continue working after the war ended. But, of course, millions of men came back from serving in the military and there was a widespread fear that there would be another depression once the wartime economy shut down. Women were asked to do their part by leaving the job market and some fired so the returning veterans could be re-employed. After the war, women were still employed as secretaries, waitresses, or in other clerical jobs, what we often call the "pink collar" workforce. Those jobs were not as well paid, and they were not as enjoyable or challenging, but women did take those jobs because they either wanted or needed to keep working. By taking those jobs seeing women as apart of the workforce became normal which changed women’s identity, they became more than just a
As said above, with men away to serve in the military and demands for war material increasing, manufacturing jobs opened up to women and upped their earning power. Women entered these jobs, excelled, and enjoyed the work, the good pay, the opportunities for advancement, and the excitement of working with other women and men on important jobs that needed to be done for the war. Most wanted to continue working after the war ended. But, of course, millions of men came back from serving in the military and there was a widespread fear that there would be another depression once the wartime economy shut down. Women were asked to do their part by leaving the job market and some fired so the returning veterans could be re-employed. After the war, women were still employed as secretaries, waitresses, or in other clerical jobs, what we often call the "pink collar" workforce. Those jobs were not as well paid, and they were not as enjoyable or challenging, but women did take those jobs because they either wanted or needed to keep working. By taking those jobs seeing women as apart of the workforce became normal which changed women’s identity, they became more than just a