FREE ESSAY ON POSTWAR WOMEN

POSTWAR WOMEN

Postwar Women
World War Two has often been described as a turning point in the battle for equality
between men and women. From the beginning, women were always struggling to gain status,
respect, and rights in their society. Prior to World War Two, a woman's role in society
was seen as someone who cooked, cleaned, and gave birth. The years during and following
the war marked a turning point in the battle for equality. Women, for once, were being
seen as individuals with capabilities outside the kitchen, and we're for the first time
given a chance to prove themselves. 
On December 7, 1942, Pearl Harbor was bombed and FDR declared war. This marked the entry
of the US into World War Two, a war which has been going on in Europe for almost 2 years
prior. The start of World War II opened a new chapter in the lives of women living in
America. From coast to coast, husbands, fathers, sons and brothers shipped out to fight
in Europe. 
With the entry of the US and the absence of large quantities of men, the demand for
supplies increased, and women were called out of the kitchen and into the workforce.
Posters, banners, and jingles were all aspects that helped encourage women's entrance
into the workforce. Millions marched into factories, offices, and military bases. The
demand for labor was so great, that a poll taken that year showed that only 13% of the
population opposed females entering the workforce. 
Women's occupations varied from war nurses and cooking for the army, to making bombs and
making weapons. Other occupations flourished, as well. Women photographers, writers, and
reports were for once given a chance. The war offered women opportunity never given to
them before. The war has given women a chance to show what they can do in the world, and
they have done well.(Craig,4). Women were given freedom and a chance to live the American
dream. 
In 1910 till about 1940, women's employment rate was as low as only 13%. By June of 1942,
females held 55% of all jobs. Nineteen million women were all employed by 1945. Women
worked in fields that prior to the war seemed only suitable for men. They held positions
such as manufactures of heavy machinery, to welders in a shipyard. 
This new employment opening also, for the first time, gave women a salary of their own.
Women received better pay, improved and new skills, and the self-esteem that comes with
receiving income, freedom, and opportunity. Women were given a chance to make their own
decisions, without the advice of their husbands, brothers, or fathers. The financial
situation was entirely up to them. They made and managed their monthly budgets, and
decided where and how to spend their money.  The war changed everybody's lives. You just
bought everything. I was buying these fox furs and all of these things. I could just buy
anything.(Craig,4) 
Also during the war, women were being admitted into Unions. They protected a women's
wages and was the cause of it rising. Previously, a Union never protected female
employees. Once they were admitted, the War Labor Board helped many of the changes to
occur. Unions helped abolish an employers incentive to hire a female over a male, with
the Equal pay for equal work. In addition, Unions helped provide protection and benefits
of a job, and helped increase salaries. 
A documentary entitled The Life and Times of Rosie the Riverter, focused on five women
whose lives changed due to the war. Lola Weixel, Margaret Wright, Lyn Childs, Gladys
Belcher, and Wanita Allen, were women who were employed before the war, and then after.
The document told of how prior to the war, they were employed at low paying, low skilled
jobs, and were excluded from heavy industries. They were receiving such a small income,
that they were all forced to rely on men for financial support. With the entrance of the
war, their salaries, and their positions in the workforce all rose dramatically. 
The Allies' final push in the summer of 1945 brought World War II to a close. With the
end of the war, came the pressure for females to return to where they belong. All the
women who took jobs during the war, were now all expected to make room for the returning
men.
The returning veterans were all unemployed and in need of work. The government's solution
to the problem was to force women out of their jobs in order to make room for the men.
The same as they were encouraged into the labor force, they were encouraged out of it.
Posters, movies, and articles were posted to help push females to leave their jobs and
return to their homes. 
Despite the pressure, women were not so quick to return to the kitchen. They were for the
first time, given freedom, and allowed a chance. Women across the nation were less than
willing to give it back and return to their old way of life. Women began questioning the
role they played in society, and began demanding equal opportunities. A poll taken in
1945, by the Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor, showed the ? of the female
workers wished to keep and their jobs, and continue working outside the home. The years
following World War II were crucial in the history of American women, and their struggle
for equality. 
The battle for women's rights has existed for many years prior. Women, such as Elizabeth
Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, dedicated their lives to help achieve equality. They formed
the National Woman's Suffrage Association, which eventually they succeeded by gaining
women the right to vote. They changed the way the world viewed women. They spoke out on
equal rights issues, calling it their inalienable rights. After much struggle, the 19th
Amendment was passed giving women the right to vote. This marked only beginning of the
struggle yet to come. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton sparked the controversial
battle that continued well into the next century, and gave women the motivation needed to
finally achieve what they were fighting for. 
Organizations such as Women's Equity Action League (WEAL), the Women's Trade Unions
League (WTUL), the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA), National
Organization for Women (NOW), and the National Women's Party were just a few of the many
organizations set up in order to achieve their goals. 
The 1960s was a major period of gaining equality for women. Various acts were passed in
order to help the woman's cause. Through various struggles and battles, the Equal Pay Act
was passed in 1963, which prohibited wage discrimination based on one's sex. In addition,
the Civil Rights Act was passed the following year, which further extended the laws
prohibiting one's occupation due to sex, by also prohibiting wage discrimination, job
classification, promotion, and training. 
Women's battle for equality also existed outside the workforce. During the late 1960s,
women fought for equal rights anyway they knew how. They wanted to end discrimination not
only at work, but at home, and in every part of their society. To accomplish this, women
began to take place in marches and spoke out against inequality.
Individual women worked hard to achieve their goal. Esther Peterson, director of the
Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor, with the help of President John F. Kennedy,
helped approve the Equal Rights Amendment. Also, other activities helped the fight for
equality. Betty Friedan, the first President of NOW, became one of the most influential
activists of her time. She led a highly publicized campaign in order to pass an amendment
to guarantee equal rights for both men and women. In addition, Friedan was the author of
The Feminine Mystique, a book that spoke of the idea that women could find happiness
outside their homes, and within their careers. 
By the 1970s, women achieved some victories, but the fight was far from over. Today,
almost 64 million women, almost 16 and over, and about 46% of the workforce is composed
of women. Despite all the increasing number of women in the workforce, females on a whole
still earn less, and still hold traditional female positions, such as nurses, clerks, and
secretaries. Statistics show that clothing industries, telephone communication, health
services, and education are predominantly female. In addition, an average male income is
well above a female, earning on an average 26% more than a female employer. 
However, American women are working in a greater diversity of jobs than ever before. For
the first time in history, women are holding jobs that were never seen fit for a female.
In addition, females make up 48% of Labor Unions. 
Although, females as a whole remain at a distant disadvantage in many aspects of life,
they have still gone a long way from the days of the kitchen. The fight for equality is
far from over, but has much progressed. This new era of equality has brought on a world
of change for females. Women for the first time in history are being accepted in society,
are given the right to decide, and young girls of today are all given hope.
Bibliography
1) Chafe, William H. The American Woman: Her Changing Social, Economic, and Political
Roles, 1920-1970. New York: Oxford University Press, 1972.
2) Harris, Mark Jonathan, et al. The Homefront: America During World War II (New York:
G.P. Putnam's Sons 1984)
3) Trager, James. The Women's Chronology (New York: Henry Holt and Company (1994).
4) At Home During World War Two.
http://www.pomperaug.com/socstud/stumuseum/web/ARHwww2.htm
5) Women's Roles in the Wars. http://carmen.murdoch.edu.au/~jjones/war2.htm
6) Women's Experiences in World War Two.
"http://ask.com/main/metaanswer.asp?metaEngine=directhit&origin=womensexperiences=money+americandrem.html"
7) A Short History of the Women's Rights Movement,
http://ask.com/main/followup.asp?qCategory=EDU_&aequal+right+for+women%27&qS=Jeeves&metasearch=yes&ads=historywomens+rightsmovement.html