Changing Views in Turbulent Times

From WWI to WWII, there was a vast shift in the role and view of women in US society. During WWI, women were encouraged to work in factories to fill the jobs of the men that had gone to war and ensure that the country still had the supplies it needed. This was a new role for women at the time, since before they were expected to stay home and raise their family, but it was never even thought of that the women could fight in the war as well. As one can see from the propaganda poster to the right, only men were expected to enlist, and women simply couldn't. But during WWII, this all changed. Many different organizations arose encouraging women to enlist in an armed service to support their country. One of these organizations was the WAC, or the Women's Army Corps. These women were the first to partake in the army as anything other than nurses. Over 150,000 women served in this division of the army. While at first, there were many negative views about this organization, but it was a necessity, and the women worked well. They were reported as being hard working and better disciplined than the male soldiers. But, they were never sent to forefront of the battles, and they often took over safer, more routine jobs to allow more men to fight in the war. Their uniforms were also not very practical, and they were required to carry make-up bags at all times. So even though they still weren't equal to men in terms of military standards, it was definitely a new role for them. The poster to the left exemplifies this by providing a stark contrast to the poster from WWI. They are not showing a picture of a woman wishing to fight to convince men to fight; instead they are encouraging women to fight. The faces of the women in the second poster are much more determined and serious that the innocent and joyful face of the woman in the first poster. Women were now being thought of as capable of more than just raising children.

The fact that the role of women in society changed vastly during both WWI and WWII shows that turbulent times lead to the reassessment of long held beliefs. We change our ideals depending on what it necessary at the time. This shows us that total wars and other important events not only affect the home front and the war front, but also the way we think; it causes a shift in intangible things as well as the tangible things. This change was important because it was a big step towards equality for all in the US, even though there was, and still is, a long way to go.