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The Effect Of Second World War On Women

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War has always been a catalyst for change, whether that means in terms of politics, economy, or even individual lives. Throughout the course of wars that occurred within America, or been associated with America, change has been brought or was a major recurring effect. It can be even said that war is essentially fought for change or development. The Second World War was no exception, having an overwhelming impact on the United States during the time. The war affected all phases of American life, even though no battles occurred on mainland America. It required groundbreaking efforts to coordinate strategy and tactics with other members of the Grand Alliance and then to plunge into battle against the Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan. At …show more content…

Without a doubt, many can agree that women were considered America’s second class at the start of the struggle. The war brought enormous changes to women's’ lives. Facing discrimination in the job market, they found many positions simply closed to them. In jobs they could find, they usually earned less than men, considering men at a higher class then these women that had dreams of being successful. But then the huge productive effort that began in 1940 gave women the chance to do industrial work, and changed women’s views. As millions of men entered the military services, both government and industry waged to get women to work in the factories with means of propaganda and advertisement such as posters, “Rosie the Riveter” for the well-being of American economy in terms of production. And they did succeed—in overwhelming numbers. The amount of employed women rose from 14,600,000 in 1941 to 19,370,000 in 1944. In the latter year, 37 percent of all adult women were in the labor force consisting in factories, mills, and workshops. At the peak of the industrial effort, women constituted 36 percent of the civilian work force. But to keep in mind, these numbers were likely to be constituted only because of the men off on war zones. At the same time, the demographic composition of the female labor pool shifted. Traditionally, working women had been …show more content…

They had fought against totalitarian dictatorships for democratic ideals and they had won. The world was a better place for the sacrifices they had made, and veterans and others took pride in a job well done. The war clearly brought a return of prosperity after the dismal depression of the 1930s. It promoted the growth of big business and solidified military industrial links. It brought about permanent demographic change. For groups discriminated against in the past, the war was a vehicle for lasting social and economic gains. The war changed configurations of political power. War, by its very nature, has always been a catalyst for change, and World War II followed that

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