It’s Influence on Women

After the country suffered through the Great Depression entering the war was the last thing on Americans minds. But as the war brewed overseas and grew closer and closer it became inevitable that America would have to get involved. As with most wars WWII offered expansion for women. Their duties and responsibilities at home expanded while their husbands were at war. Their roles in the workforce greatly increased.

For the first time women were accepted into the military in an official capacity. WWII was one of the most important steps towards our present day state of gender equality because it provided women the opportunity to challenge stereotypes by taking untraditional roles such as in factories or the military and ultimately got to show America what they are capable of and why they are more than deserving of equal rights. The Great Depression had already changed American women’s lives before WWII was even thought of. Women had to learn to live economically on much meager incomes than they were used to.

Most women of the time had husbands but they were either unemployed or they had undergone severe pay cuts. Women learned how to make living in these conditions as comfortable for their family as possible. Eleanor Roosevelt encouraged women to be the force that brought America out of the depression. In her first book that she wrote as first lady she stated “The women know that life must go on and that the needs of life must be met and it is their courage and determination which time and again have pulled us through worse crises than the present one.

Eleanor played a key role in promoting equality for all Americans. Some women had already been working but only in clerical and domestic service jobs. When the depression hit these jobs remained “women’s duties” which was an advantage, as most employers would not accept women. But as the depression went on it became more and more acceptable for women to start taking other jobs. Mothers were desperate be able to provide for their families so they started taking the jobs that even unemployed men didn’t want. Out of desperation women took whatever jobs they could for whatever pay they could get.

This was the start of women’s roles in America changing. The depression paved the way for women to start entering the workforce but WWII was the first time women were actually encouraged to leave the home and start taking traditionally “men’s jobs. ” Before America actually entered the war as a fighting force they were involved as a supplying force. America was aiding the allies with military products and with the demand being so high they needed lots of workers. This industry was one of the main factors that pulled the U. S. out of the Great Depression.

But it was not until America actually went to war that the government started actually encouraging women to go to work and do “their part” in the war effort. With so many men fighting overseas it became a lot easier for already working women to move into higher paying jobs that were intended for men and women who had never worked to enter the work force as well. At first only single women were allowed to go to work as the government was trying their hardest to maintain the “American family. ” But as the war went on it became increasingly clear that women’s help would be necessary to win.

The government soon completely reversed their policies and called upon ALL women to go to work. They used propaganda such as Rosie the Riveter to encourage women to do their part. The general public saw this all as a temporary situation; extraordinary actions for extreme circumstances that would soon come to an end with the war. But this gave women the opportunity to see first hand just how able they were. After working in men’s positions women quickly started questioning the validity of gender divisions of labor.

Women have been known to serve in the U. S. military since the American Revolution but WWII was the first time they served in official capacity. Although women traditionally were excluded from military service and their participation in the Armed Forces was not promoted at the outset of WWII it soon became apparent that their participation in fighting the Axis Powers would be necessary to win the war. Women were not considered strong at that time. Even today we as women fight the stereotypes of being weak and too emotionally needy for certain jobs.

But with there being so much pressure to win the war America and its men had to swallow its pride and not only let women enter the work force but also the military. About 150000 American women served in the (WAC) Women’s Army Corps and the (WAAC) Women’s Army Auxillary Corps during WWII. These were the first women to ever serve with the army outside of nursing. There was strong opposition in the leadership of the Army and among the public against women in uniform but the shortage of men made new policies allowing women to serve a necessity.

Most women served their time here in the states but some went overseas to places like Europe and North Africa. The WAC’s actually landed on Normandy Beach a few weeks following the initial invasion. WAVES was the WWII division of the U. S. Navy that consisted entirely of women. WAVES stands for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. The reason it was referred to as an “Emergency Service” was because the Navy wanted to make it clear that the acceptance of women was due to the extreme situation the U. S. was in because of WWII and that at the end of the war women would no longer be allowed in the Navy.

Another very important group was the Women’s Air Force Service Pilots or WASP. WASP was a revolutionary organization of civilian female pilots that were under the direction of the U. S. Air Force to fly military aircrafts during WWII. There were about 1074 WASP pilots that were finally recognized for their superb work in the war efforts by being granted veteran status in 1977. WASP was an experimental program to prove that women could fly military aircrafts. Not many people expected women to actually succeed in proving themselves.

Thirty-eight WASP’s were killed during WWII flying for their country. They did not receive any recognition of any sort until 1977 and it was not even allowed to cover their graves with the American flag. The WASP’s were treated as though they never existed after the war; their records hidden in archives for over thirty years. These women that served in our U. S. military were volunteers. They risked their lives for their country and proved that they are worthy of wearing the U. S. military uniforms. Without women’s participation in the war effort there is no telling what would have happened.

Even if we still won the war what would the economy look like with no one to work the jobs back home? Woman made great progress during WWII and we see the effects of that progress in our daily lives. Presently I am writing a paper so that I can finish school and continue on my way to whatever career I would like. Had the women of the WWII era not achieved the giant leaps forward that they did I am not so sure I would be able to say that. Because of WWII women of America got too a glimpse of equality and later pushed to make that their future.

When WWII was over and all the men came back from war the country pushed to put women back in the house and away from labor. But after working in the same exact positions in factories that men had held before they left for war; after flying bomber planes overseas; women had gained the knowledge about themselves that they are powerful and capable. Equality did not happen overnight. But WWII did give women the means to start working towards it. Women had proven that they can do everything a man can do not only to the male population but themselves. From that point all they had to do is keep on pushing towards more progress.