The Changing Roles Of Women During World War II

Women and World War II Eighteen million women worked in the work force during World War II. World War II caused a change on how women were being portrayed. As a result of the war, they took on different gender roles; the military created divisions where women could serve; and women’s rights were affected. Traditionally, women were usually found at home as a mother, a wife, a teacher and as a housekeeper. Women were discouraged from working , while men would leave the home to work and provide for the family. This didn’t change until the year 1940 when the United States actually was at war and women were recruited. During this year women were portrayed differently. In 1930s during the depression, women were portrayed in the home, but in the years of war, women were pictured as heroines since they were in the assembly lines working. During this time, waves of women stepped up to work as men went overseas to
Women were not being treated equal because men got paid 25% more. In a way this created the gender pay gap. Women veterans encountered road blocks as they tried to take an advantage of benefits and programming for veterans, like the G.I .Bill . Women were not allowed to access these government benefits even though they qualified. Although the government forced them back to work in traditional roles, they found a way to work without actually labeling it as work. Many families wanted or even needed the extra income, requiring the wife to work for earnings. They called it the Tupperware home sales, where women will work from homes part-time. They did not even have to call it “work” instead they called it “having parties” (“American”). They will join together and do a home party selling Tupperware, allowing women to have income. Now Tupperware are sold everywhere. Who would have thought that it started because of the women during World War