Rosie The Riveter

During WWI and WWII the role of women were pretty much the same. Their roles included working in factories, nurses, and anything that need to get done while the men were off at war. Although, during WWI and WWII these roles seemed to be portrayed differently. First, during WWI women were a huge role but when the men came back the women were not as recognized and did not get as many rights as they should have. In WWII, when women went to work it was portrayed as patriotic. Rosie the Riveter is a prime example of this because she was part of a huge propaganda series trying to get more and more women to work. So, the U.S had to create a character which would change the view on women working. Rosie the Riveter showed women that they were being patriotic when they worked in the factories and that the had a huge part in the war (which they did). Lastly, Rosie the Riveter made such a big impacted because women felt that Rosie represented more rights for women. 

The role of woman in war times increased during WWI and WWII. When all of the men left for the war, it granted the women with an opportunity to create careers instead of staying home and being housewives. They also were used as nurses in the war, which was a first. This was a large step for women's rights because they were finally able to prove themselves in the workplace when the opportunity presented itself. 

However, after the wars there was a large drop off in women in the workplace because the men came back, there were baby booms, and then the women were forced to stay at home and lose the progress they had made during the absence of men. Only after WWII did their rights stick.

Rosie the Riveter

Rosie the Riveter was a fictional character (modeled by very real people, like Shirley Karp) used in propaganda by the US during World War II.  Rosie was depicted as having her sleeves rolled up and strong arms to show that women were capable to help with factory work on the home front to aid the troops.  As an extra precaution for really slow people, the posters had motivational slogans like "We Can Do It!", just in case it was unclear what the message was of the poster.  Also, and importantly, Rosie was painted as being a relatively beautiful woman, proving that you don't have to be totally manly to work at a real job.

These posters were essential to aiding the American war effort, as much of the workforce was enlisted and without them the factories would have been forced to operate at less than maximum capacity, which would be very bad.  Plus, Rosie was seen as a symbol of the upcoming feminism movement and how women could be productive in the workforce.

And to prove how America is far superior to Canada, Rosie the Riveter would own Canada's equivalent, Ronnie the Bren Gun Girl.

Rosie the Riveter

In World War I and World War II, the roles of women stayed pretty much the same, however they were portrayed differently. In both wars they helped contribute to the war effort by working in factories, as nurses, etc. However, all of this was temporary, only to be in effect while the men were off fighting. When they came back, the women resumed their usual routine. In WWII women who took jobs in factories contributing to the war were seen as patriotic. Rosie the Riveter was a good example of this. This poster was propoganda for women, encouraging them to go work in factories and even some new jobs. The poster of Rosie the Riveter is now seen as the beginning of women's rights, while in WWI their rights were very limited.

Symbols of Strength

The propaganda posters of Rosie the Riveter greatly increased the role of women in the war effort.  During WWI, women were viewed much differently than during WWII.  Originally, American women were not really seen as involved in the war effort.  When the men left to go fight, the women were left with no choice but to assume the jobs of the men back home.  It was seen as just a temporary thing.  They believed that everything would go back to the way things were when the men got back.  After the war, however, the image of women in society began to shift from being an obedient housewife to being independent and free.  This brought about the 1920's image of the flapper.  During WWII, the image of women continued to change and gain momentum.  For example, Rosie the Riveter was a propaganda poster that portrayed a strong working woman.  This image gave women a newfound strength that allowed them to participate in a wider range of jobs including those that were thought to be traditionally for men.  With new ideals for women, people were now able to freely contribute to the war effort, with out feeling tied back by society.

WASPs: Women Airforce Service Pilots

W.A.S.P.s  were the women pilots during WWII and played a key roll in establishing the United States as a major threat against Hitler's acquisition of Europe. The roll for women in the Airforce emerged when there was a lack of skilled male pilots to take the newly produced aircraft into battle. Most male pilots were overseas fighting, thus there was a need for skilled flyers. To make use of the new aircrafts, the United States government launched a program to train female flyers. The sad part about this story is that female flyers received no honor for flying for their country, and had nothing that commemorated their efforts in the war. Of course it was revolutionary, and in fact there were few female pilots in service during WWII (if not none.) Nevertheless, women continued to get the short end of the bargain, and as the war in Europe concluded, they were no longer needed and their inspiring story came to an end.

Women Needed

During World War I women did not have much involvement in the war, when it came to fighting. The women were forced to stay at home while the men went out and fought for their country. The immense number of men going out to join the army left a very high number of jobs at home undone. Since most men were gone the women were given the opportunity to fill in for the men. This gave them more power and rights. However, most of this control was stripped back away from the women once the war was over and the men returned. The only involvement the women had directly to the war was serving as nurses, working in munitions factories, sowing clothes and other similar jobs, but the women never entered the battlefields.
During World War II women had a more involvement in the battlefields. After the bombing of Pearl harbor people began to abandon some of the weak feminine views because they knew that more manpower was needed in the war. In 1942, the women’s Auxiliary Army Corps was established in a bill. This allowed women to go to combat in some areas of the military. Slowly new groups were made so that the women could have some involvement in the war. Like a new section in the Navy. However, they were still discriminated in lack of military benefits that most men received. It wasn’t until 1943 that the women gained full military status with the same benefits.
Comparing the role of women in each of these wars is very interesting because we see the evolution of women’s rights in this short span of time. In both cases the women were a crucial part to the war, but it is quite clear that during World War II they had more rights and power. However, we must notice that the women gained most of these rights because the countries knew that they need the women fighting and would probably not have received these rights if they weren’t needed.

The Riveter

World War II was fought on the battlefield by men as we know but at the same time we have learned that there is so much to a war than what you see on the beaches. When a hefty majority of the young men, a lot of the workiong population leave to go off fighting, in both world wars the women stepped right in to their position and took over the job of running the homefront. Now Rosie The Riveter was a propaganda poster designed to encourage more Americans to help the War effort and who knows how the war would have turned out without this inspirational photograph.

Rosie the Riveter

Throughout the two World Wars, the role of women has essentially stayed the same, except for the increased role of women in WWII.  Their involvement in the wars changed the social status and working lives of women around the world.  The service of women as "home front regulators" was crucial to allied success in both wars.  In World War II, women became iconic symbols of hardwork; Rosie the Riveter is a classic example.  The propaganda created by female workers inspired all citizens of the US to partake in the war effort.  Women have played key roles in both World Wars, and in doing so, have helped their respective nations.  Their work in wars also contributed to the great female suffrage acts during the early part of the twentieth century.  Without them, who knows what would have happened during war, both on the battle front and home front. 

Women of the World Wars Worked

In general, the roles of women were the same in both World War I and World War II. Many went off to work so as to fill in spots vacated by men, while some remained at home and took care of the family.

Women in both World Wars served mainly in factories, where large numbers of men had previously worked. They also took on such jobs as nursing and care.

In World War II however, women took on an even larger variety of jobs that were originally "men-only". Some, especially in the Soviet Union, joined front-line-combat divisions of the military, while others did skilled labor in the factories (as opposed to being barred from operating the more complex machinery).

In summary, the role of women in World War II was similar in that women took jobs to replace the men, and that some left once the men (who survived...) returned. However, their roles between World War I and II differ in that women in World War II had a much larger variety of jobs and were allowed to take on the more traditionally male jobs. This led eventually to women's suffrage.

Total war is just as the name suggests. It is a war that totally involves the nation (that sentence sounded very "surfer-brah"-like. Ugh.) and relies on everyone to help support the war efforts. Total war's pull was powerful enough to break down the previously male-dominated structure of society- if only temporarily.

Rosie the Riveter

The role of women in both WWI and WWII are fundamentally the same. However, the role of women in WWII has more significance to modern America, which can be attributed to such figures as Rosie the Riveter. Ultimately, Rosie was an icon that sparked awareness of female roles in the war throughout America. At this point in history (especially during total war), it was expected that women partake in the highly critical and valiantly patriotic war industry. Yet we see that as female roles increased, they were able to form their own sub-category of prominence in the war and American society; something we certainly did not see during or after WWI. It is even fair to say that WWII jump started the female role in working American society, an issue that became prevalent after women realized their value and potential in the work force. And for the first time in American History, women were portrayed through propaganda and nationalism as symbols of patriotism and dedication through work. Although these working contributions seemed to be an afterthought following WWII, it was enough to upstart a civil movement.

Rosie the Riveter

Although the image of Rosie the Riveter has gained international fame for symbolizing the beginning of the introduction of women to the workplace, this, in fact, was not a novelty at the time. Back in World War I, millions of women served as nurses, worked in munitions factories, or even sewed clothes for soldiers.

During World War II, women filled the same jobs as in World War I, but also a few new ones, due to the time, and progress in women's rights, that took place in between the wars. For example, women were even allowed to fight in World War II in special battalions. To me, that can be considered a point in history when they truly acquired the social status of women. Also, because the USA was much more involved in WWII than WWI, by the middle of WWII, it was said that 89% of all jobs were open and accessible to women, whereas at the beginning of the war, only 25% of all jobs were accessible to them.

Not only is this statistic interesting, but its circumstances are. Only when we, as a country, are faced with a common enemy (in WWII, Germany) do we allow gender equality in the workplace out of convenience. Later on, when international troubles are gone, and we're back to dealing with domestic issues, women are discouraged from working in factories. This says that total war really affects the home front to a point that all social norms are momentarily forgotten: total war can effectively change a nation.

Clearly, then, during WWII, great progress was made in terms of women's independence and rights in the workplace. This was spurred on by popular images such as that of Rosie the Riveter that encouraged - and normalized - women working in such places that were traditionally considered manly as factories.

Woman in World War I and II

During World War I, women did not have a huge place in their country's involvement in the war. Women did have many contributing factors on the war, but society limited their involvement. They were not part of the military but instead worked as nurses. They also filled in many jobs left open at home, as the men went to war. The amount of physical labour that women did increased, but these jobs proved to be temporary. In 1917 they were authorized to be in the Navy, but they couldn't advance in the field as much as men.

At the beginning of World War II, the same mindset of women being too feminine to participate in the military. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, this mindset began to deteriorate as more and more manpower was needed. IN 1942, the WAAC bill passed allowing the establishment of Women's Auxiliary Army Corps. The WAAC could cover parts of the military allowing men to go to combat. Shortly after the Navy passed acts creating different sects of the Navy attributed to women. The lack of manpower forced people to let go of their reserves concerning women to participating in the military. Yet, women still didn't get paid as much or have the full military benefits as men. In 1943, The WAAC or the new version of the Women's Army Corps, was passed and gained women full military status. 

Between the two wars, the involvement of women was greatly increased. Even though initially it was because of a lack of manpower, woman became a vital part of the military forces. The involvement of women unified the US even more and helped every effort of winning the war. Woman were a crucial part of every country during both wars from the home front to the military.

World War I+II Role of Women

The role of women changed greatly from World War I to World War II. During War World II a group called the WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) was created in 1941-1942 by a group or women pilots that had the desire to help out during the war. They fought for their spot in the war and soon enough they were allowed to participate in it as well. The WASPs relieved men pilots for combat duty, while they helped with the other flight-related programs.

During World War I, women were not allowed to participate in the war rather than on the home front. Women did, however, receive more rights when they started working on factories, replacing a lot of the jobs that men occupied before. Nevertheless, once the men returned from the war, women were stripped of some rights due to the jobs going back to the men who were away fighting.

Throughout World War II, women gained more respect and rights. Women were now thought of as almost equal in the things that they were able to do. This included serving the military and helping out with militaristic type missions or jobs.This change happened because the United States wanted to play a bigger role than they had in World War I. They wanted to deliver even more troops and machinery to fight there enemy. To do this, the U.S. needed all the help they could get and this included recruiting some women.

Women in War

The role of women changed greatly from world war one to the second. In 1914, women were not a part of the war, although they participated at the home front. When the men all went off to fight the wars in Europe, women were left to take their place in a factories and other local occupations. Their jobs were temporary and not directly on the battle field, but the labor force of women certainly increased during WWI. Army and Navy nurse corps had been established in earlier years and that was the biggest area of female participation. Not until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor was the potential value of women recognized and the WAAC (women auxiliary army corps) considered. People were hesitant to women becoming more active due to society's view of their role in the home and the masculinity/strength it took to fight. The demand for more people in the military defeated the resistance. At first, when women went oversea, performing Army jobs, they didn't have benefits equal to those "members" of the Army. WAAC volunteers got unequal pay, experienced a lack of military rank, and knew that the women in the NAVY had much more privilege. Women achieved full military status in 1943, with the passing of the Women's Army Corps (WAC) Bill. 

WWI was when women could fulfill more jobs in the home front and temporarily take on the place of men in society. During WWII, women didn't just take open jobs, but created a whole new work force; women fighting in the army. They paved a new path of women's rights and equality. 

[I used this website.]

First a Job, Now a Uniform and Gun!

Just from looking at what a single paragraph about the WACs as well as finding out what it stands for can tell you how there was a change in the role of women from WWI to WWII.  Members of the WACs or Women's Army Corps not only helped build ammo and guns but some (over 150,00) even fought in the war.  Although this was not thought of as "the best thing since sliced bread" and there was some difficulty in accepting women in the war, in the end it seemed as if the sheer increase/number of people fighting in the war was enough for them to accept it.  This tells us that this was such a big war that just getting more people into it, no matter who those people were was a very important thing.

WWI:  Was the revolution for more women getting jobs during the war.  Holding down the fort almost, and making supplies to send off.  People accepted this but they still thought that it was a temporary basis and when the war was over, the most men took their jobs back.

WWII:  Was the revolution for women fighting in the war.  As the women held down the morale back home, here they kept morale up by fighting in the war, receiving many thousands of letters (65,000 per shift).  They were good fighters as well as 657 WACs received metals and citations.  

Source: http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/wac/wac.htm

Other blogs talking about the WACs or the WAACs:  Molly Eliza Priyanka Rebecca

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.

Women's Roles During Times of War

In desperate times there are inevitably going to be temporary changes in how people think. This was evident in WWI, where women were encouraged to do the work usually given to men in order to help the war effort. A similar thing happened in WWII, only to a slightly greater extent. In WWI, women took the jobs vacated by men who left for war; they primarily stayed on the home front. In WWII, gender roles were partially disregarded, and women were allowed to fly. WASP were the Women Airforce Service Pilots. These women recognized the opportunity total war provided them with--a chance to back away from the traditional role of a women (to stay at home and tend to the family) and take advantage of their once-in-a-lifetime chance to follow their passion: flying. In both the cases of WWI and WWII, women's roles were dramatically broadened from their traditional boundaries. Also in both cases, unfortunately, this broadening was temporary, lasting only as long as the war. Women did gain some respect from these instances. They proved that they were capable of "men's work" and this undoubtedly helped to start to get away from the super traditional women-at-home mentality. However, it was still a very long way from upturning gender roles in society.

This is obvious in today's society, where--although women soldiers are much more common--it is thought of largely as a man's job (or in some cases--depending on the propaganda being used--a man's duty). Also, certain jobs haven't lost their traditional gender associations. Secretatries and nurses, for example, are thought of as jobs more common for a woman than a man. And vice versa, men are thought to frequent more physically demanding jobs (firefighters, construction workers, etc.) with women being few and rare in such fields. While women continually prove female stereotypes wrong, gender discrimination still thrives, possibly because large groups of women have never been allowed to hold their higher statuses (or "more difficult" jobs) for long periods of time (as it was with their temporary jobs in WWI and WWII).

The Role of Women

Although the role of women in WWI was significant, it got incredibly larger in WWII. During WWI, when the men went off to fight for the United States, many women had to step up and take on jobs to make up for the men that left their jobs. Before this, women mostly stayed at home and raised the kids while the men did all the work. When the war began, they had to do their part in helping the US, which was working on the home front. Although they did have a significant impact on the war, it was nearly as large as they did in WWII. During this war, they not only had jobs, but many even went off to the war to fight. They build airplanes, ships, and over 150,000 women were used in the army. This was important because unlike WWI, they didn't try to help the war from a distance, but were part of it due to the lack of men. Rosie the Riveter is an example of a hard working women in the factories during WWII. She was a symbol and icon for all women during WWII and showed them what the ideal women should be like.

Status of Women

At the beginning of World War I, women status gradually evolved into a dramatic change by the end of the war. Because the men were gone at battle for the war, many women had to take full responsibility of not only domestic affairs, but also labor and work. Due to this, women began to feel more independent and socially equal compared to the men of society. Although there were many similarities between women status in World War I and World War II, World War II provided more opportunities and privileges for the women to have an actual impact on the war itself. Women gained the rights to work with planes, including flying, building, and operating. Over a thousand women served in the U.S. Air Force in the WASP, however, they did not gain full recognition for their military service until the seventies. World War I and World War II both provided a greater range of women occupations and rights, but by the time World War II arrived, people became more comfortable with the idea of women being treated with greater equality.