ipl-logo

How Did Ww2 Contribute To The Liberation Of Australian Women

809 Words4 Pages

From the 1st of September 1939 to the 2nd of September 1945, life in Australia experienced drastic change. These six years and one day were the catalyst for a radical shift in Australian women’s place in society, ultimately leading to their emancipation from previous roles. The Second World War was instrumental in the liberation of Australian women as their shift away from traditional roles, improved financial equality and increased military participation led to empowerment and new freedoms. The most prominent of these factors in the liberation of Australian women was their emancipation from previous roles. World War Two catalysed the empowerment of women through their emancipation from previous roles in society. Due to both the implementation …show more content…

The cooperation of high political figures and unions to secure equal pay for women was contributory to the overall liberation of Australian women. These factors caused the average woman’s pay to increase from 54% of the male rate to 70%, some unionised women gaining the full wage. (ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee, 2015) Prime Minister Curtin advocated for women’s rights, “I have done my best… to have women paid on their merits. I see no reason why a woman should be paid less than a man for the same work” (Curtin cited in John Curtin Prime Ministerial Library, 1943) In addition to this, unions of the time also continued this movement as predominantly male trade unions began to accept female members. (Fieldes, 2013) This left-wing source possesses bias that places disproportionate emphasis on the importance of unionisation, yet still remains relevant. However, this movement towards liberation experienced widespread traditionalist opposition, one such man writing to the Argus, “Would they [women] not be better fitted for jobs too often held by men in the city shops?” (Guthrie, 1941, pg 7) Despite aforementioned opposition, the movement for equal pay and opportunity for women flourished. Women were greatly liberated from previous roles during World War Two as their increased financial equality allowed for greater freedoms, including the foundation of auxiliary

Show More
Related

  • An Analysis Of 'Rosie The Riveter'

    355 Words  | 2 Pages

    As World War II developed more and more Australian men were conscripted by the British Empire to join the war and therefore tens-of-thousands of men left Australia, leaving their wives and children behind. On the home front, women dealt with the consequences of war in an extreme manner which consisted of managing children and family accountabilities alone, shortages of resources, as well as their concerns for the future, and the grief of losing loved ones. Although this was a distressing and challenging time for the women population within Australia it also enabled them to access ‘a man’s world’ and be successful within the economical workspace, which was previously not accessible to them prior to the war. 'Rosie the Riveter ' was a

    Read More

  • Changes In Australia After Ww2

    840 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the war, Australia adopted a period of censorship, preventing information falling onto the enemy’s hands but also depriving citizens of news. In World War II, women were actively recruited into jobs that had always been for men. At home women had to deal with: loss of loved ones, managing children, family’s responsibilities alone and shortages of resources. Women were scene to have skills that could contribute to the war effort, for example Rationing and shortages meant that

    Read More

  • Summary Of Canadian Women And The Struggle For Equality By Lorna Marsden

    1089 Words  | 5 Pages

    In more detail, this book provides us with knowledge on specific events through time that women faced on their way to gender equality. Major arguments in this book include, struggle with the law, war, social change, demographic change, making a living and the continuation of change. Marsden provides evidence to support each one of these arguments using critical analysis of information. She explains to readers the significance of this specific aspect in Canadian history, especially for women. This book not only provides us with more knowledge on the journey that women went through to achieve equal rights, it also shows us how far women have gone to accomplish gender equality and how much further we still have to

    Read More

  • How Did World War 1 Affect Australian Society

    351 Words  | 2 Pages

    World War 1 impacted Australian society greatly. This event did change society forever. Women were seen differently as their role in society changed. It brought along the idea of conscription and propaganda to influence the civilian population. Women had to adapt to new lifestyles during World War 1 as the death toll of Australian troops just kept decreasing.

    Read More

  • Women's Role In Ww1 Essay

    1422 Words  | 6 Pages

    Australia’s home front played a significant and important role in World War One. Thousands of people took the roles that were previously filled by men, organisations were created to support the soldiers, care packages were manufactured, charities were created to fund help, and various other things. In this essay, I will be covering the use of propaganda, women’s roles, the Australian government’s control of enemy aliens and their censorship of information. During World War One, propaganda was used for various things such as to encourage more people to enlist in the army, for charities to collect donations, to create a strong hatred for the enemy and a sense of pride in their own country.

    Read More

  • Liberation Of Australian Women In Ww2 Essay

    1002 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Liberation of Australian Women in World War Two World War Two (WWII), the war between the Allies and the Axis, is known as ‘the deadliest conflict in history’ because of the holocaust, the Japanese invasions and bombings, and the millions of prisoners of war. However, amidst all this destruction, WWII also brought about a new and better era for Australian women; an era of military, home and employment freedom. The male absence in the home during the war dramatically increased the female participation in traditional male roles. As a consequence, WWII was instrumental for the liberation of Australian women in the workforce, family life and agriculture as it empowered women, giving them a newfound freedom as well as a sense of achievement.

    Read More

  • War Effects On Canadian Women

    234 Words  | 1 Pages

    A pattern that has, in some cases, contributed to the advancement of women’s rights. In 1917, amidst the tremendous reconfiguration of labour practices on the home front, the movement of women’s suffrage won a major

    Read More

  • Second World War's Effects On Australian People Essay

    788 Words  | 4 Pages

    During World War 2 (1939 – 1945), Australia had a variety of impacts on both its government and its people. The war had a great effect on the place of indigenous people in Australia as indigenous men and women joined services throughout the country. The Aboriginal Australians, both the men and the women had contributed in the second Great War. Meanwhile, when the Aboriginals of Australia had jobs during World War 2, Australia’s economy boomed with the help of the war as many Australian troops had gone out to fight for the British. The economy had boomed during the period of the Second World War as Australian products could be produced as well.

    Read More

  • Labor Unions During The 1930s

    731 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is a difficult task to challenge the social and economic policies of a country, especially one as patriotic as the United States during the post wartime Red scare era of the 1920 's. labor unions could account for this as they saw their membership fall from a high of 5 million in the 1920s to a mere 3.6 million by 1923(Rosenzweig 353). A combination of Supreme court decisions, Employer pressures and in many cases a lack of a strong leadership seen in previous individuals like Samuel Gompers contributed to this. Yet this trend surprisingly didn’t remain consistent as the great depression emerged around the 1930s. In fact they tripled there membership during the 1930s(Rosenzweig 429).They opened up, recruiting millions of women in their causes

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The 1920's And 1950

    536 Words  | 3 Pages

    The time of the 1920’s and 1950’s both saw changes to the political and social structure following the conclusion of World War 1 and 2, respectively. The United States entered into an era of wealth and prosperity after these wars, and with more money and access to material goods, the public desired more consumer products. Also, social movements after these wars dramatically changed what the role of women are in society. While some argue that these eras are completely different, the 1920’s and 1950’s, separated by three decades, still have many similarities relating to the roles of women and consumerism. The roles of women, especially, dramatically altered after the Second World War.

    Read More

  • Australian Women In World War 1 Essay

    1153 Words  | 5 Pages

    According to Fiona MacDonald, an author who has published 300 books about social history, these women were part of the 'ordinary women ' who worked as domestic servants, which included, cooking, cleaning and caring for sick people and children (source D). The next class was known as the 'working-class ' which were women who laboured in factories, sweatshops or did piecework at home (source D). Above the 'working-class ' came the 'educated women ' who were commonly found working as shop assistants, office clerks, telephone operators or junior teachers (source D). And last were the 'married working-class ' women who usually did two or more jobs, such as, home-makers caring for their children, and going out to do work on wages as well. The women who worked back in Australia, also know as the homefront, were also involved in voluntary jobs as they were trying to help the people away at was as much ad they could.

    Read More

  • Australian Women In Ww2 Essay

    534 Words  | 3 Pages

    Australian women had a very broad range of duties and responsibilities during World War II. Their roles also changed a lot for a long time during 1939 to 1945. There are some factors that show how their roles changed. These factors are participation in military services, education to work in skilled employment and transformation of attitudes and beliefs of society.

    Read More

  • The Canadian Women's Army Corps (CWAC)

    219 Words  | 1 Pages

    During World War II, Woman’s were assembled for duty in the Canadian Armed Forces, for the first time. The armed force was shy of men in war services and administration, which lead the Canadian government to choose and declare on August 13, 1941 to give woman’s the privilege to take an interest in war utility. 50,000 women were enlisted and more than half provided service in the Canadian Army. Most were doled out occupations including customary female work, for example, cooking, clothing and administrative obligations, also woman had pioneer roles in the mechanized and specialized fields. The Canadian Women 's Army Corps (CWAC) performed fundamental administrations, both at home and abroad, that achieved Allied victory.

    Read More

  • Essay On Australia's Response To Ww2

    834 Words  | 4 Pages

    Australia’s experiences of World War II were significant for Australia and impacted on the shaping of our national identity. Australia 's response to entry into World War II in 1939 differed from Australia 's entry into World War I in 1914. Reasons for this includes attitudes towards war changing after gaining the knowledge and experiencing consequences of World War I, the conditions and lead up to World War II as well as Australia’s strong support for Britain. Firstly, the attitude of Australians changed due to World War 3I proving that war was not glamourous or exciting like it was assumed. During the lead up to World War II Australians had already struggled to survive through the depression and were now required to survive at war.

    Read More

  • Pros Of Feminism In Contemporary Society

    991 Words  | 4 Pages

    To what extent is feminism supported and/or criticised in Australian contemporary society, and what do you think might explain this? Feminism is a movement seeking equality in society for all men, women and transgender people. Many feminist movements focus on eliminating the oppression of women as well as pushing for women's rights and interests. Feminism has been through a number of waves, the first wave demanded women have the right to vote (week5 text).

    Read More

More about How Did Ww2 Contribute To The Liberation Of Australian Women

Open Document