The American woman in World War II
Introduction
Before the world wars, the role of women was limited only with the fulfillment of a certain type of activities related to the home and the care of the children. It should be noted that if there were jobs that women could perform such as seamstresses, nannies and cooks. However, the paradigm regarding the types of work related to women changes to the development of the first and especially World War II. The research question that will solve the following internal history is to what extent the American woman took an important role during World War II? The information collected was obtained from previous research, history books, and documentary archives on World War II.
María Vidaurreta (2003), in her research determines that war generated an important social change, being more relevant to women. World War II, was directly responsible for the change of social paradigm that was stigmatizing women, as a person who cannot do the same tasks as men. (Vidaurreta, 2003)
Martha Valdeón (2006), considers that women played an important role in the development of World War II. The war in the first place, affected all sectors of the population without considering their ideological or socioeconomic aspect. In it, women had to replace men in jobs that were previously considered for male sex. (Valdeón, 2017)
Amauri Córdova (2015), determines in his research that women were important for the economic development of the United States. The women had the possibility to work basically in all the positions that men had set out for going to fight war. Women played such as manufacturer, nurses, soldiers and other positions initially designed for men. (Córdova, 2015)
Carolina Díaz (2017), determined that women were decisive in World War II. They held battle posts, among which those who were at the service of the Nazis stand out. Women like Lyudmila Pavlichenko considered one of the best snipers of the Red Army, fulfilled their work and better of how many men developed it. (Diaz, 2017)
Montserrat Huguet (2014), determines that women were already prepared to replace men from World War I. The Great War brought with it a county with casualties that considerably diminished the jobs. Therefore, women had to leave their homes to get a job to keep their families. (HUGUET, 2014)
Source 1: The work of research has taken as a basis the work of Carolina Díaz. It determines that women not only replaced men in their jobs. Without, they also managed to reach important achievements and recognitions such as welded women. They, like men, fought inside the trenches and must fight face to face against enemies. Women were trained for weapons management and melee combat. The particular case of Lyudmila Pavlichenko showed that women could even be that men in activities only developed for men.
Source 2: María Vidaurreta’s research determines that women played an important role in the social and economic change presented by countries in war. Since countries were needed to continue their commercial activities to improve their economy, women took the role left by the men who went to war.
Developing
American women played important roles during World War II, both at home and in uniform. Not only did they give their children, husbands, parents and brothers to war effort, but they gave their time, energy and some even gave their lives. Upon entering the war when it exploded in 1939, the United States quickly pledged to a total war after the Japanese attack to Pearl Harbor. This commitment included the use of all assets in the United States, including women. The powers of the axis, on the other hand, took women in their war industries. Hitler ridiculed Americans as degenerated to put their women to work. The role of German women, he said, was to be good wives and mothers and have more babies for the third Reich (Valdeón, 2017).
When the war began, the rapid marriages became the norm, since the teenagers married their boyfriends before their men went abroad. While men fought abroad, women on the inner front worked in defense plants and offered as volunteers for war -related organizations, in addition to managing their homes. In New Orleans, as the demand for public transport grew, women even became tram conductors for the first time.
When the men left, the women became competent chefs and houses. Rosie The Riveter helped ensure that the allies would have the war materials they needed to defeat the axis (Diaz, 2017).
About 350,000 American women served in uniform, both in their country and abroad, as volunteers for the newly formed auxiliary body of the female army (Waac, then renamed Army’s female body), the Navy’s Women’s Reserve (Waves), the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, the Cost. General Eisenhower felt that he could not win the war without the help of uniformed women. The contribution of the women of America, either on the farm or in the factory or in uniform, a day D was a sine qua non condition of the invasion effort (Vargas, 2012).
Uniformed women took office and office charges in the Armed Forces to free men to fight. They also led trucks, repaired airplanes, worked as laboratory technicians, manipulated parachute, served as radio operators, analyzed photographs, flew military airplanes throughout the country, tested newly repaired airplanes and even trained anti -air artillery gunners acting as flying. objectives.
Some women served near the lines of the front in the body of nurses of the army, where 16 were killed as a result of the direct enemy fire. Sixty -eight women of American service were captured as prisoners of war in the Philippines. More than 1,600 nurses were awarded by courage under fire and meritorious service, and 565 Wac at the Pacific Theater won combat decorations. The nurses were in Normandy in D-Plus-Four (Faura, 2013).
At the end of the war, although most of the women surveyed reported that they wanted. Veteran women found obstacles when they tried to take advantage of veteran benefits programs, such as G.Yo. Bill. It seems that the nation that needed its help in times of crisis was not yet prepared for greater social equality that would come slowly in the following decades (Córdova, 2015).
In many ways, the history of women’s employment during World War I was repeated during World War II. Despite their success in war industries during World War I, employers and the government circulated similar stereotypes about the ability and ability of women to participate in the work of men (Vidaurreta, 2003).
The unions once again expressed concern about the decline in men’s salaries and requested guarantees that women’s work would only be temporary. However, the needs of the warship economy won again. In December 1941, the Government recruited single women between 20 and 30 years as auxiliaries of the Armed Forces, Civil Defense or War Industries. Propaganda brochures urged women to participate in the war effort (Valdeón, 2017).
Government figures show that female employment increased during World War II of around 5.1 million in 1939 (26%) just over 7.25 million in 1943 (36% of all women of working age). Forty -six percent of all women aged between 14 and 59 years, and 90% of all single women without disabilities between the ages of 18 and 40 dedicated themselves to some form of national work or service in September 1943. The level of employment could have been higher since domestic employees were excluded from these figures. Many domestic employees would have been reallocated to the national service, but there are no exact figures (Lara, 2013).
During World War II, women worked in factories that produced ammunition, built ships, airplanes, in auxiliary services such as anti -aircraft, firefighters and evacuation officers, such as firefighters, trains and trams drivers, such as drivers and drivers andas nurses. During this period, some unions that work in traditionally masculine occupations, such as engineering, began to admit female members (Diaz, 2017).
The workers resorted to agitation at the local level to fight for salary equality, often without the support of their unions. The workers of the Rolls-Royce plant in Hillington, near Glasgow, opposed a lower rate than the unqualified men who do the same job. A investigation court recommended a new qualification system that was agreed by the Amalgamada Engineering Union. However, women believed that the new system would still leave 80% of them with the lowest rate and declared a one -week strike in October 1943, with the support of most men in the plant. Finally, an agreement was reached on a fixed salary that was the same for working men and women, depending on the type of machines in which they would work (Córdova, 2015).
Another way in which women were discriminated during World War II referred to the level of settlements offered to women by the 1939 Personal Personal Injury Plan. The women received 7 shillings less than the 21 chelines a week that men received. Women were actively deployed in civil defense schemes such as night fire vigilante.
These women ran the risk of bombing. The unions, the activists and some parliamentarians addressed this issue and, despite the initial opposition of the government to this demand, equal rates were introduced in April 1943 (Huguet, 2014).
The entry of women into occupations that were considered highly qualified and as male reserves, for example, as drivers of firefighters, trains and trams and in the engineering, metal and naval construction industries, resumed debates on salary equality. The unions again worried about the impact on men’s salaries after the war, when men would return to work on these works (Huguet, 2014).
But government priority was the recruitment of workers for service industries and war effort. A limited agreement was reached on equal remuneration that allowed equal remuneration for women where they did the same work as men without assistance or supervision. The majority of the employers managed to avoid the issue of salary equality, and the salary of women remained on average 53% of the salary of the men who replaced. The semi -qualified and unqualified works were designated as women’s work and were exempt from salary equality negotiations (Diaz, 2017).
With the increase in the employment of women during World War II, the need to fulfill the responsibilities for care of working mothers had to be addressed. State funds were provided to establish around 1345 nurseries in times of war, a large increase of the 14 nurseries that existed in 1940. However, this was always considered a temporary measure for the period of war and, despite the constant increase in women’s employment rates since the 1920s, the place of a married woman was still considered at home (Diaz, 2017)
conclusion
As could be determined in the investigation, women played a fundamental role in World War II. The women, mainly those of the United States, fostered the economic development of the country since they had to place men who had gone to war in their workplaces, regardless of what kind of work is. The women, therefore, began a development in the workplace that allowed the United States to maintain their economy at normal at the same time that they could be in combat in war.
Women played several types of papers and not only related to operational jobs. Also, they managed to get involved with the army and combat hand in hand with men. However, women were victims of harassment and teasing by men. Pro, as time went by, women showed that they can be suitable for all kinds of work.
Bibliography
- Córdova, a. (2015). The roses of World War II. Mexico: Anglo Méxicano University Center.
- Diaz, c. (2017). Women were decisive in World War II. Lima: RPP.
- Faura, g. (2013). World War II. Madrid: Perseus.
- Huguet, m. (2014). Uniform women in World War I. Madrid: Carlos III University of Madrid.
- Lara, e. (2013). World War II in Literature. Madrid: Public Bibliotéca.
- Valdeón, m. (2017). Women in World War II. The cases of Italy, United States. Oviedo: University of Oviedo.
- Vargas, d. (2012). The role of women in World War II. Madrid: Study to learn.
- Vidaurreta, m. (2003). Women’s War and Condition in Industrial Society. Madrid: University of Madrid.
Leave feedback