Australian Women During Ww2 Essay

World War II marked the beginning of many great casualties, but for Australian women, the historical crisis was nothing less than the foundation to their prominent role in society. No longer confined to domesticity, women were employed in all fields taking over roles once recognised as professions of men. This report will outline the pre war lifestyle, role of women during war and services formed by non-government organisations for Australian women to apply and employ themselves into careers once denied access to.

Prior to WWII, an Australian woman served the men in her family, raised children and carried out all domestic duties, women were perceived as weak and of a lesser degree than men. They were classified as unfit to care for themselves and often uneducated meaning, it was difficult to work in realistic careers. As for women who did work, they were recognised as unethical.

Women often struggled to support their families during WWII, as Australia was suffering a shortage of food and clothing supplies, as a result the government provided a
For nurses working on the homefront, particularly Darwin, Northern Territory, the living standards were unbearable- food was unsanitary, rodents were commonly found on the ships and outbreaks of dust mites were frequent, with many women falling ill. Forced to sacrifice their health and sometimes themselves to serve the nation, the nurses were left to face the horrific acts of war. In one case, a nurse was killed and several wounded by a Japanese diver bomb attack on the Manunda, (an Australian hospital ship) on the 19th of February 1942. Another report recalls the death of eleven nurses killed on the hospital ship- Centaur, when the ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine off the Queensland coastline on the 14th of May, 1941. The nurses received recognition for their efforts 1999 at the Australian Service Nurses Memorial,