Women's Role In World War II

Women donated cooking pots, children gave up all of their metal toys and farmers sacrificed their old tractors. By helping collect scrap metal people started to believe that they were part of the war because of all of the contribution that they made. The World War 2 changed many American lives throughout the years. Women took over men 's jobs.

They comprised of mothers, the daughters, and wives of the soldiers. This group of women followed the soldiers, hence the name camp followers, for food and protection. In 1777, Washington directed Regimental surgeons to procure and train many camp followers to act as nurses. As a result, the Continental Army medical staff was reorganized.

Clarissa Harlowe Barton was an important woman figure in the time of the Civil War. She was every soldiers’ angel in their time of suffering. She was even given the nickname “Angel of the Battlefield”, but let’s start off with getting to know Clara a little bit more before I tell you about how great she was. Clara was born on December 25, 1821, in Oxford, Massachusetts. Not only was Clara born on a great holiday, but she also founded the American Red Cross.

Since the beginning, women have been front and center during all of the destruction caused by the multiple wars. In the beginning women started integrating into combat zones in the smallest ways, they would work as nurses or cooks, and they often disguised themselves as men to be able to help serve their country. Allowing women into the military has impacted and changed the requirements to join and the requirements of the different bases, it has increased and decreased the military budget, improved effectiveness in some areas, and it has added extra stress and liabilities. When women were allowed to join the military, in combat and non-combat units, the requirements for multiple different aspects of the military changed. The physical requirements to join the different branches was not altered too

¨Me mother sick unto death and no money for a doctor.(127)¨ Almost everybody working has issues just like Lyddie and Brigid. With the petition there could be more pay, or even less hours so people tend to more of what needed to be taken care of outside of

In her autobiography, I Came a Stranger Hilda Polacheck reveals the conflicting role of women in the late 19th / early 20th century as workers, caregivers, and social activists in a conflicting age of progress, hardship and missed expectations. Coming from a very traditional Jewish family in Poland it seems that Polacheck was destined to be a full time mother and wife never having immersed herself in the American society where women were becoming more and more relevant. The death of her father changes all of this forcing herself, her mother, and her siblings to fight for survival. This fight is not only what transformed Hilda Polacheck into the woman we remember her as today, but into an American . At age thirteen and even much later after her husband’s death forced Polacheck to go to work to keep her family fed and clothed.

The Erie Canal caused women to finally work outside of the house. If you read the source, "National Park Service", you can see that the Erie Canal caused more jobs to be created than just the men could handle. This caused women to work and realize the injustice of their gender. Women started to rebel and hold conventions like the Seneca Falls Women 's Rights Convention in 1848. They held this meeting at a thriving town that had a prosperous community, so they had great chances of people, especially women, showing up and listening to what they had to say.

Prior to the rule of the Nazis women were given a sense of freedom and equality completely unknown to German women before, they were offered complete opportunity. Women joined the workforce and by 1925, 35% of German workers were women. However when Hitler came to power the changes that the women had adapted to were revoked. Women in Nazi Germany in 1933 were to uphold a specific role; they were to be a mother and a housewife, having the responsibility of raising the children and keeping the house in a respectable and clean manner while their husbands were working. The role of women was confined to the role family life and motherhood In 1936 the Lebensborn or Spring of Life program began, under the control of the SS specially made homes were provided to unmarried mothers or women who fell pregnant to SS men outside of wedlock, these establishments were primarily for pure German women.

Changes came in the 19th and 20th centuries some example are for women the right to equal pay is now written in law. Women traditionally ran the household, had children, were nurses, mothers, wives, neighbors, friends, and teachers. During periods of war, women were drafted into the labor market to do the work that had been traditionally restricted to men only. Following the wars, they lost their jobs in their version of the corporate world and had to return to domestic and service

Many women were forced to take on jobs that men once held before the war. This created many opportunities for women to take on jobs outside of the household. They were given jobs in factories manufacturing planes, weapons, ammunition and other materials that were needed. As one of the propagandas depicts in the document women were still considered to keep their womanhood even taking up jobs that men held. Taking on such jobs empowered women and inspired them to dedicate themselves at the war front at home.

The work force for women had increased from 27% to 37%. Half of them took on tough jobs and defense industries. After the men left off to the military women entered the work force to fill in for

The home front during the Civil War was an active environment dedicated to supporting the military war effort. Many things took place on these home fronts, Everyone had to do their part to support the brave troops fighting in the war. For example, the role of women increased as volunteers began to desert their businesses to serve in the war. Women began to run shops and businesses while the men were away, which helped them thrive in the midst of chaos. Because these factories were run by these women, more food, supplies, and clothing were able to be made for soldiers.

Australian women in World War One (WWI) played a great role both behind the front lines as nurses and also on the home front, taking the place of many men who were at the war. Women at this time were split into four groups, 'Ordinary women ', 'working-class ', educated women ' and the 'married working-class ', all of which impacted the soldiers lives whether it be from house hold duties, to working as a nurse at the war. The Australian women involved themselves in WWI leaving a large impact on the soldiers lives. These women were very rarely recognised for their great contribution to war.

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.

Advertising through magazines and television defined and transmitted the role of women and motherhood (Stoneham, Holt). During this time the ‘Seven Sisters’, a group of magazines traditionally aimed at homemaker women some including: Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, and Woman’s Day, reached over thirty four million consumers, which is a great deal of women to convince what lifestyle they should live. In addition, propaganda was used to put women “back in their place”, after mem came home from war (Holt). Many television shows presented a set example of a normal american life, the most memorable one being, “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” (Stoneham). June Cleaver, Donna Reed, and Harriet Nelson were all television show mothers who acted the part of the idealistic housewife of this time period.