Women During Ww2

Words: 1610
Pages: 7

In 1939 WWII broke out in Europe when on 1 September 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Germany and the invasion of Germany by France and the United Kingdom. It was one the largest and deadliest war to ever be fought on the face of the planet with casualties reaching over 50 million. America joined in the war efforts after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on December 7, of 1941.
Due to the scale of this enormous War, men and women were involved in this wartime effort. The impact of women in American society has been significant, during the Second World War their contributions were much needed. Women were asked to take on the role of being prepared for combat, asked to defend their roles for being excited about their service,
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Rosie represented for millions of Americans throughout the decades since World War II, the stunning brunette in the red and white polka-dot bandanna was Rosie the Riveter. Rosie's rolled-up sleeves and flexed right arm came to represent the newfound strength of the 18 million women who worked during the war and later made her a figure of the feminist movement (Honey 1984). The bottom line is that women’s participation in the defense industry was significant because it broke down sex segregated labor patterns. Their successes were widely touted as many Rosie the Riveters emphasized that women could maintain femininity (DuBois 2012). The impact of Rosie the Riveter was one of concern during the postwar years as to where she would fit into American society. Many felt that her role was done away with during postwar and that the need for her in the American workplace had dissolved, making room for the return of the modern day nuclear family female in America. One thing for sure is that women were in the workplace to stay, whether at home or in the military. America had won the war against its enemies in the battlefield and would begin reshaping its efforts to deal with the battles over sex segregated gender on its own home soil. Women had been given the opportunity to prove that they had what it took to get the job done. This determination would spill over into a new mindset that would change the face and place of women in American society. In spite of these changes, laws were being put in place to protect their rights of women both socially and economically. World War II changed the role of women in not only their wartime efforts, but also set up a movement of feminism, equal rights and the We Can Do It