ipl-logo

Australian Women In Ww2 Essay

640 Words3 Pages

Women's roles were extremely crucial during WW2, and they demonstrated this in numerous ways during the duration of the war, although men played an equally important part.

Australian women played a pivotal role in their contribution to the Auxiliary defense services during WW2. Before the war, nursing was the only service women could join, although, when the men had to go serve in the war, it allowed women to join a variety of defense services due to the vacancy of spots. In 1941 women were able to join the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) where they could work and maintain aircraft, operate radars and drive trucks. They could also join the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS) where they worked as secretaries to admirals, …show more content…

At the start of the war, several work positions became available, as men had to enlist, which meant women were able to fill them. Women could take on “war essential jobs” that contributed to the “all in effort.” The jobs they could take on were, tram conductors, taxi and truck drivers, and, they were able to manufacture munitions and military equipment. During the duration of WW2, 200,000 women joined the war essential jobs to contribute to the all in effort. Secondly, women were able to join the Australian Women's Land Army (AWLA). The land army encouraged women 18-50 from city towns to join and work in farms. The land army was created to combat the shortages of workers on farms due to the amount of men enlisting. The Jobs women could do were Sheep shearing, Cattle herding, plowing, and vegetable and fruit growing. Enrolment peaked in December 1943 with 2,382 permanent members and 1,039 auxiliary members. Australian women played a pivotal role in war related industries, like the Land Army and Jobs that were essential to the war effort in …show more content…

Firstly, During the war, more than 1 million Australian men enlisted in the armed forces, fighting in Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, south-east Asia and other parts of the Pacific. The Australian men fought with the allied powers (Britain, France, and Russia) against the axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan). Men could enlist in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) , The Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Secondly, men who couldn't serve in the war, joined war essential jobs. They could manufacture goods that were essential for the war effort, such as weapons, and aircraft, and could also work in the mines to extract resources, and finally could work in the civil defense, where men volunteered for civil duties, such as air raid wardens and fire wardens, to help protect the civilian population from enemy attacks, such as the darwin bombing from the japanese. At the end of the war nearly 39,000 Australian men lost their lives and another 30,000 had been taken prisoner. This shows many were fighting and gave up their lives for their country. Australian Men also played an equally pivotal role as women, during

Show More
Related

  • Essay On The Role Of Australian Women In Ww2

    708 Words  | 3 Pages

    But they worked increasingly in war industries such as military equipment, manufacturing munitions. Women also joined to the agriculture. They worked as framers to keep products. The Women’s Land Army was set to

    Read More

  • 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

  • How Did Ww2 Affect Australian Citizens

    969 Words  | 4 Pages

    To face this threat all Australian, ‘men, women and children, were urged to put their backs into the war effort,’ (Ww2australia.gov.au, 2014). One of the biggest changes women had to undergo was their new role in working industries, which had previously been male-dominate areas. School children tried to help as much as they could, collecting anything that could be recycled to use for the war effort, such as newspaper and old tires. It wasn’t long until the Australian government stepping, putting in various controls, such as the National Security Act. This act enabled the Australian Government to take over and control nearly everything.

    Read More

  • How Did Ww2 Contribute To The Liberation Of Australian Women

    809 Words  | 4 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.

    Read More

  • Australian Women In Ww1 Essay

    678 Words  | 3 Pages

    When the first World War proceeded to take place, many Australian men- underage or not, volunteered themselves to protect and take pride in their country. Women had no choice but to fill in those vacant jobs that were left by the now soldiers. Australian women weren’t allowed into war, unless if they were active in the field of nursing, to help aid the wounded soldiers, or if they were involved in other service duties prior to the war. Women that helped the wounded in the war front were acknowledged as the only women to have contributed to the war and had failed to recognise the women that stayed back and had endured stress and hardships. Prior to World War 1, women in the upper class did not work and very few worked after, as the sufficient amount of wealth ensured that they would not run out of servants, and had plenty of money for food and other resources, which the other classes had not of.

    Read More

  • How Did World War 1 Affect Australian Women

    818 Words  | 4 Pages

    What about the rest of the women in the home front? These women back in Australia had been majorly impacted by the war. Since the war had taken away the brothers, fathers, sons, and uncles of these Australian women, it was up to these women to continue working, harvesting, running and supporting Australia through this period of time. The war had forced women become more than mothers, taking on tasks such as harvesting and working in factories on top of running a family, making their lives a lot harder. To support their soldiers in the war, these women began creating different parties to fundraise money and support the men at war, such as Red Cross and Advance Guard.

    Read More

  • Women's Role In Ww1 Essay

    1422 Words  | 6 Pages

    However, around 2000 women served in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), 23 of these women died from illnesses or wounds during their time serving. Since many of the men in Australia were fighting, the women had to take charge; caring for their children and family alone without the help of husbands, brothers or fathers, all while suffering with the fear that their loved ones might not make it home. Women had to fill the shoes of men in the workforce, taking up jobs that women wouldn't typically do. Some of these jobs included being in the police force, railway work, farming, textiles work, bus conducting, postal working, engineering, working in the coal industry, ship building, ammunition factory work, nursing, tailoring, metal trades, food trades, and many other

    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

  • Women During Ww1

    1025 Words  | 5 Pages

    When the war broke out and men left to serve, many jobs were left unfulfilled, and it became the job of the woman to take up work in order to support their husbands across the sea. Citizens were expected to provide maximum effort, and many women went into munitions work, so as to directly impact the war with their help. As a political move, women were temporarily given the right to vote, provided that they had direct family serving in the war. This was the War Time Elections Act, and its goal was to gain political favour, as well as votes, during the conscription crisis. The Canadian government saw that the wives and mothers of soldiers were most likely to support conscription.

    Read More

  • How Did Ww2 Change American Society

    1520 Words  | 7 Pages

    World War II was the first time when the Army included women in the war and they started working in occupations

    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

  • Essay On Women In World War 2

    676 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the beginning of the war women realized that they were greatly needed and started advertising the use of themselves in the war. This caught the attention of General George Marshall who supported the idea of a women’s branch in the army. This went to congress and later passed making the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps. The WACs served in more than 200 different non-combat jobs. This aided the war tremendously because it helped out the troops and allowed men to be in combat more.

    Read More

  • How Did Ww2 Affect Australian Women

    734 Words  | 3 Pages

    Australian Women on the Home Front during World War II World War II, ushered in opportunity, prosperity, and an entirely new lifestyle for many Australians. The war helped the Australian economy out of depression by employing millions, this especially had an impact on the women of Australia. World War II also brought changes to the lives of the majority Australian women. More than 900,000 men joining the army, there was a labour shortage as the men left their jobs to join the army, this meant that women were recruited into the occupations that were usually performed by men. This meant for the women that there was better employment, new skills, regular wage and becoming more independent.

    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

  • Women's Suffrage Thesis

    1063 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the book written by (Gavin, 1997) it was cited that “As women took over from their absent men in hundreds of new and challenging occupations, many of which had previously been considered inappropriate”. From the beginning of the World War 1, the German women were participating a great deal. They contributed to half a million-people working on the munitions manufacturing alone (Gavin, 1997). It also mentioned in the book that over in the U.S, the men in charge refused to let the women participate up until April 1917 (Gavin, 1997). The U.S government never formally authorize the enrolment of women, despite Army officials repeatedly asking for such personnel’s.

    Read More

More about Australian Women In Ww2 Essay

Open Document