Today in class, we started a discussion about World War 2 propaganda. One of the posters in the slide show was the "We can do it!" poster, about womens work in the war effort. It got me thinking about womens rights, and how big of a turning point it must have been for women. Up until this time period, women were still seen as the quiet, sweet and gentle homemakers. Most were raised under the impression that their purpose in life was to become a wife and mother and create a happy home. It must have come as a shock when all of a sudden, women needed to step up and do what was considered mans work, during the war. While some women were happy to have this chance, there were probably some who were hesitant, because it was against the beliefs they were raised with. This opportunity gave women the chance to show themselves, and men, what they could do.
2 comments:
Your point about the home makers is very true. During the war, my grandmother worked in a propeller factory for fighter planes. She told me that every person in the country felt that they were responsible for making up the loss of all the men to the war. This sense of responsibility can be tied back to Barry Schwartz's TED talk about the Swiss citizens with regards to the nuclear waste dump. My grandmother, and thousands like her, felt they needed to step up with the effort, just like the Swiss did when the dump needed to be built. Overall, I think a war like WWII helps propaganda though, if you look at wars like Vietnam and operation Iraqi Freedom, where there isn't as much support, the propaganda just isn't there. The sad part about your point is that there has never been an instance of women taking over gender roles after the war finished, they just went back to being who they were before the war.
I think you're exactly right -- it was a drastic change in a short amount of time. It's amazing how war can function (historically) as a catalyst for change.
What's even more amazing is the return of the women to traditional roles after the war!
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