Womens Rights :: American America History

Women's Rights It was long ago when women were looked upon as slaves to the hard Working, man. In today's society women now are more respected and are acceptable for many jobs as men are. Yet, long before our time during World War II, women were thought many different things that they could only imagine. During the postwar, women were, then equipped with many different abilities colliding with their home chores and knowledge. Women then took their stand and many acts were passes in their favor. In this essay I shall be discussing the many different requirements women went through during World War II, their postwar abilities, and the discussion of what the men in the past had against the women of today. The war's demand, the war had made the proposition to the women to do the man's work (Leahy, pg.35). Women were encouraged to take these jobs for the first time in history. To some it was a shock but to many it was a divine privilege. By 1942 a poll showed that only 13% of Americans opposed women in the workforce (Leahy, pg.36). Many of them also became war nurses and helped many of the men recover. It would seem that women's interests in occupational equality were directly linked to the nation's state of distress. Many women were exceptionally well at making bombs and took the place of men. During the war women received many different opportunity and advancement in their lives. Even though there were many laws prohibiting women from working they still came through for our country (Walker, pg.2). For once women were looked at as producers and not reproducers. After the war the men had returned home and back steps began to take place with the women. In 1945, 3/4 of the women polled by the Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor wished to continue working which showed their interests in the skills they possessed. During this point much frustration ran through these women for the men had created "homemaker" for the description of a women's job and life. Women continued working during the postwar and grew stronger. The veterans of the war were not so opposed but more rejecting to the fact of women taking their places. Knowing that the women would help the war's progress greatly many issues were discussed before allowing them to work. The government wanted power towards them, to have possession of influence that the women undergoes.