The nature of the Second World War blurred the line between the conventional and unconventional roles for women. As the war progress, the idea of total war, where all people are mobilized behind the war effort, even if they cannot hold a rifle or fire artillery, became regnant. Women left the home and were thrust into roles which were previously held by men and with which they were not familiar, but nonetheless contributed substantially to the war. In the west, women took a more auxiliary role than in the USSR. The departure of men from the factories and to the front lines created a vacuum, which women were sucked into.
In source A, we read about the enthusiasm that was women when thought of as independent. They strived at the thought of contributing to the war effort, country and society. In source B, we see a picture of strong women nursing the wounded, which plays a huge part to any war. For starters, without nurses, there would be no uninjured soldiers to defend our country. In front of them, we see 2 women.
Not only were men fighting the war but women were also helping the fight either from the bases or the home front. Some women like Nancy Wake fought
Should women be allowed in combat? Women should be able to serve in combat if men can. I will prove that women are equal to men and they have the strength just like men. People say one of the main reasons they don’t want women in combat, is Physicality. Physicality is a main component in combat, you have to have it to be in it.
Being a girl is hard, women have been the second best since the beginning of time, women weren’t allowed to do a man's job in the military and it’s time that further evolves into women and men doing all of the same jobs. Although, some may argue that keeping women protected from the harsh realities of war is the reasonable thing to do and those people have a valid argument when they say women aren’t emotionally stable enough to fight on the front lines, or that women aren’t strong enough to serve; this applies to some women not all. Women have proven themselves capable of so much more than the standard that is set for them in the military: overcoming their physical differences and putting the excuses to rest. The excuses about being a distraction to men and that women are going to be prioritized over fighting. The military makes us believe that everyone in the military is treated
In Jane Addams excerpts from “Women and Internationalism” (1915) Addams discusses men and women and their different feelings about war. She briefly mentions that women experience something completely different in times of war, even if they themselves are not the ones fighting. She explains this by the fact that women are the ones who raise and protect those men from children, and watching them be destroyed is a whole different sensation than just fighting as a soldier. The theme expressed in her discussion is that often the ones fighting the battles, whether it is in war or in everyday life situations, are not the ones impacted the most. For soldiers, the journey that they endure during war is bewildering and often unimaginable, yet the struggle
Without women we would not be where we are today in the world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. For example, we have Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace, who is credited as the first computer programmer. Intelligence in the military is key to keeping American values alive and to saving countless lives of those fighting on the front lines. Women are responsible for so many great things, to limit that by limiting civic duty puts America behind in the world.
Going back all the way to the American Revolution women served in the military. They were only allowed to serve as nurses until World War I. Then they were trained to be stenographers and combat phone operators. Women are allowed to serve in combat now but not in a combat military occupational specialty (MOS). Even to this day the question still remains “Should women be able to serve in combat military occupational specialties?”
Women were well suited for providing nourishment and necessities for the army due to their skills obtained by their accustomed housework. “...the American army often recruited the many female camp followers to fill these jobs” (Brooks 2013, para. 17). They had slowly began to achieve recognition in society, especially war. It was then, that woman had begun to silently “protest” on having the same equal opportunity as men. During the war, women created a role for themselves to side amongst the male soldiers: a secret soldier.
Although thought to be unimportant and unintelligent, women taking part in the war may have been the most important “weapon” used by either army. Women took part in nursing the sick or injured troops, which was preferable to male nurses for many reasons. These women were typically far more gentle and soothing than their male counterparts, and could comfort the soldiers easily. They were much smaller and more nimble than the men as well, which made the job of healing soldiers quicker and easier.
A female becoming a soldier or a spy or any kind of person that helped throughout these battles was unheard of. But there were so many women that did, some disguised and some not. The role that women held in the American
Women have proven themselves as being competent and qualified for tasks and jobs in the military even under stressful or dangerous conditions. Men are allowed to choose combat and women should also be given this choice. Society will not suffer because not all women desire to fight in war-like conditions or deployments. Recently, there are numerous women who serve as Generals and Admirals. They consist of all components of the forces including serving in combat units and onboard ships.
Yet, women were expected to set aside their personal beliefs to insure that America could still make further advancements without its men. However, women still complied because they knew the responsibility laid with them to keep the nation running. Still, much of propaganda had a purpose to motivate women to lend a helping hand in the war. As Susan Mathis said, “The patriotic appeal had two aspects… ‘do your part’... ‘a soldier may die if you don’t do your part’...”
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.
Women continue to disprove the stereotype that they are too “frail and delicate” to serve in the armed forces. Equality means equal rights and equal responsibilities, and if a woman can meet the same requirements mandatory for men to join the armed forces, she should be eligible for the draft. Even if the majority of citizens able to meet the requirements is still men, this would be fair as it gives all women the opportunity to attempt, and those who do meet the requirements will be able to serve their country in a time of