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  • Essay / Women's Contributions to the War Effort During World War II

    Before World War II, women performed basic household tasks: cleaning, cooking, and caring for children. These and other miscellaneous activities were carried out mainly by women at that time. But it couldn't last forever, something had to happen to change a woman's daily life. This event is World War II. The role of women in World War II is not as much talked about and praised in today's world as the role of men. The role of men during World War II was just as grueling as that of women. But this effort and hard work done by women has not been recognized as much. By this time, women had left their families to learn and adapt to new skills, with some taking jobs considered masculine. They also created organizations to help others during World War II, this was just to list a few. Just like the men, they did excess work in order to help their and others' chances of surviving World War II. So why haven't women received as much credit as men? Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayWomen took on various male roles 350,000 women served in the armed forces during World War II. in the armed forces. Especially since they participate in the armed forces, while women are often presented as fragile or too feminine. This number was not limited to white women. Minority women also participated in the war effort, African American women served in black-only units, while women of all races participated in aiding World War II. They risked their lives just as much as the men. What most would suspect is them staying home with the kids, cooking and cleaning all day, they are instead going out and getting their hands dirty in a real workforce. In the armed forces, their lives were on the line, but they took on these roles with great power. Like Mrs. Barbara Drew who "instead of taking care of her husband's children, she went and volunteered." Barbara Drew took the opportunity to come out and help. She knew exactly what was in danger, but decided to take that risk and let her husband, who would naturally be the one to go out and fight, stay home with the kids. It's almost like a role reversal. In an interview by Casey Johnson, Barbara Drew "in addition to being a housewife, Ms. Draw volunteered for civil defense." While ensuring that her children were taken care of, she also went to help with civil defense. She explains in the interview: “He was taught to evacuate children and the elderly from coastal areas to the mountains.” This was very important because many civilians needed to be transported from one area to another to ensure their survival. The fact that she was able to do this shows how vital a role she played in helping with World War II. She was not alone in this, she also explains how “Eight of her nine friends were learning how to change truck tires and driving these army trucks. » She also explains how she was part of an organization that “studied topography, mechanics, drove trucks”. Together, these women were able to create an organization to help others. Although they may not have been on the ground, their role wasequally important in helping civilians endure World War II. Most women active during World War II did not work in the defense industry, and most held factory jobs. As more and more men left to fight, factory jobs opened up. Women saw this opportunity and seized it. About 350,000 American women joined the military during World War II, working as nurses, driving trucks and doing clerical work to free men for combat. In order to get more men on the front lines, current jobs needed to be filled, which is where women stepped in and took care of them for them. One woman in particular, Katherine O'Grady, explains in an interview conducted by Kathy O'Grady that during World War II she "worked in a woolen mill, when the war came wool was very important." His work was vital because, at the start of the war, he was needed more than ever. Katherine “was also a mother, had a son and still worked at the mill every day.” This shows the duality of a woman and many women had families but would still go to work to provide for their families but also those of others serving in the war. Katherine also discusses some information about the wartime situation. She explains that "beef was in short supply, people downtown were selling horse meat, buying a few pounds and cooking a few steaks." This gives a little insight into what life was like during this period of war where they had to resort to horse meat. She goes on to explain that after the war, things changed for women as they could go out and survive. This was a big achievement for women because they weren't seen as important enough or just not good for anything other than staying home with the kids. So that they can go out and live their lives like men. Katherine Grady who “grew up in the Eastern Province, returned to Boston…. Earn your own money.” Katherine was able to earn her own money and support herself, which is a huge step forward and shows how much World War II changed the role and way people viewed women. Women not only participated in defense, they also worked in many professions during wartime. For example, Thérèse Bonney, a photographer from 1894 to 1978, reached millions of viewers in the United States and abroad with images of homeless children and adults. This occupation was important because civilians may not have been aware of the effects of World War II, which opened up a new facet of warfare. Removing the blindfold from many people, allowing more aid to be provided to those affected by the war. Some images taken by photographers had great intentions. For example, Frizzell's images of elite corps of African-American fighter pilots were intended to encourage positive public attitudes about the suitability of blacks for demanding military tasks. Because black people were not considered good enough to handle jobs as well as a white man, the images Frissell took were able to help me change the public's mind and let people know that black people were just as capable as any white man. Toni Frissell, who volunteered her photographic services to the Red Cross, created thousands of images of front-line nurses and soldiers. Frissell was truly able to put into practice the saying: apicture is worth a thousand words. His photographs were able to reach millions of people and help millions of people as well. From bringing positive energy to capturing a very monumental moment in human history. Frizzell's work supported the publicity purposes of her subjects, photographs designed to counter the public's negative perception of women in uniform. Once again, Frissell was able to advance women's views in a positive way and shed new light on women's perspective on women. She is not the only one to shed new light on women, Thérèse Bomey publishes newspapers, magazines, one-woman shows, films, etc., even a war comic strip heroine. Her work showed that women could play the role of the hero and were just as important as anyone else. It was a very important realization. Anne Bosanko was another woman who spoke about her experience during World War II. Anne Bosanko was a WA, C soldier in 1945, her job was to “wash the pipes, the rafters, the bedsteads, polish it. Her job was just as important as all the others, she explains, “little time for yourself: 40-minute classes, physical training, exercises, indoctrination classes. She explains it as being "almost in the army" and the conditions were almost like they were in the army. She and many other women endured this and played a very important role. Women were actively deployed in civil defense programs as night fire watchers in factories, drivers, air raid wardens, etc. Due to the jobs assigned to them, women were at risk of being victims of fire bombing but were entitled to less compensation for injuries, these women were at risk of losing their lives but did not receive equal compensation, which caused an outcry and “the women went on strike for a week in October 1943, an agreement was reached”. on a fixed salary. Women knew they needed to be compensated and deserved the same pay as men. After all, they suffered the same injuries as them. Why would their gender come into play in the amount of compensation they received? Despite initial opposition from the government, equal rates were introduced in April 1943. This was huge because women were finally getting equal rates and because female employment rates skyrocketed, the need for nurseries increased. increased, 1,345 crèches were created. To encourage women to come forward. and going out into the world, a famous person called herself Rosie the Riveter. “Rosie the Riveter was propaganda intended to reassure men that the demands of war would not make women too masculine.” (Salman Khan Source 1) Men feared that the war would change women so much that they would become almost masculine. But as Rosie worked while looking beautiful, it reassured many men that their wives would be the same too. For women, bandana-clad Rosie became one of the most successful recruits in American history. Rosie managed to attract many women to come and get their hands dirty. The campaign emphasized the need for women to enter the workforce. Women were encouraged and inspired by Rosie to go and help during World War II. Only one thing was wrong with this whole situation. Although women played a crucial role, their pay was not good and rarely earned more than 50% of men's age. This was one of the biggest problems because women were doing the same work, they should also be paid the sameamount than men. In summary, women and men of all colors and backgrounds were involved in World War II, it wasn't just white people, or just black people, or just women, it was everyone between us. For this reason, women and men should receive equal recognition and praise. Women did a variety of things to fight in the war. They didn't just become typical nurses, they became firefighters, pilots, drivers and more. They managed to change the views of millions of people about women as a whole. Before this time, women were mothers of children, wives, housewives. But women were able to change that and stand up and get their hands dirty to help millions of people. Men and women played a truly vital role in aiding World War II, not separately but also together.Women Workers in World War II (Essay)World War II began in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland, causing France and Britain to declare war on Germany. . Initially, the United States wanted to remain isolated from the war, but it officially entered World War II in 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor in which Japanese planes dropped bombs on the naval port of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, to the complete surprise of the United States. the United States. With men sent to fight overseas, women at home and abroad were given the opportunity for socioeconomic mobility: "When the demand for workers in manufacturing jobs far exceeded the supply of white men in the civilian economy, the number of jobs open to women and minorities have grown enormously” (Anderson 35). It is therefore appropriate to examine to what extent the Second World War was an opportunity for women to gain importance in the social and economic spheres. At first, employers were reluctant to hire women due to the persistent stereotype that women were only useful in the household. Even “despite government propaganda and the growing shortage of male labor, a surprising number of war factories continued to ignore women” (Breen 64). Additionally, some women living in Mobile, Alabama did not even want to work outside the home, "as the majority of women in Mobile refused to even accept part-time jobs" (Breen 66 ). Furthermore, even though it was assumed that women would only work nontraditional jobs for the duration of the war, many "housewives, laborers, and service employees were least likely to have left voluntarily." Ford company. Many of them stayed with the company until they were made redundant.” Women were forced to return to the traditional roles they held before the start of World War II. Another problem for the implementation of work for women was the fact that they had busy work schedules. Some women's schedules were too busy to accommodate labor-intensive work, as they still had to take care of the house and children. In these cases, women could not increase their participation in society or the economy even if they wanted to. On the other hand, the increase in job openings led to a significant increase 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 42). Government agencies and private companies recruited women to work.