World War 1 resulted in a division of genders, with men fighting on the battlefield and primarily women working on the home front (4)As it was a total war, all aspects and citizens in society were involved (1)
Resulted in two movements within women of society: one spontaneous and voluntary, from the women at home, and the other shaking the grounds of traditional gendered roles in France
1. WOMEN AT HOME: As men were shipped off to the front for war in 1914, over 120,000 women signed up to become nurses for the wounded, despite only 30,000 being paid (4). The charitability of many women during the war was divided between a drive to be useful and upper class respectability, as many wanted the status of having comforted and helped men during the war. Charity work flared up in France, with many young women sending parcels of supplies and handcrafted gifts to provide morale for not only the troops, but for war refugees and unemployed citizens around the country. 516 charity workshops were set up in Paris alone (4).- Regular women also provided support from home to the soldiers, with letters, supplies, and often clothing. The nickname war godmother was coined in 2015 for women who were willing to play the role of a caring family member to soldiers who were orphans or had no family remaining. These women were also praised for their dedication and played a large role in raising troop morale (5) Traditionally feminine roles still played a large part in war, through knitting and sewing to create handcrafted gifts for the troops (1) 2. …show more content…
WORKING WOMEN: As war dragged on, ammunition and supplies became increasingly rare and more and more men were being sent to the front lines. Women were called upon to replace their male counterparts in industrial labor. From 1914-1918, France mobilised 60% of its male citizens, or 8 million men (4).
7 million women had no jobs due to the disorganization of labour during the war, and the compensation for soldiers’ wives provided by the government for lost revenue was not enough for most families.
Rene Viviani led the first case of mobilised working women, when she called on peasant women in August 7, 1914 to fulfill the jobs of the farmers who had been called to war. 3,200,000 agricultural women filled in the jobs to harvest crops for the next year (6)
Women started filling up jobs in many sectors, such as education. finance, transportation, and eventually industrial labour.
Factories first turned to affectés spéciaux, “special soldiers” who were not qualified for the front line, foreign manpower, and even war prisoners before they began to seriously consider mass hiring of female workers. In November 2015, companies were told to hire women whenever possible. Women who worked in industrial labour were nicknamed “munitionnettes”, and the initial 50,000 before November spiked to 430,000 by 1918 (7) Military jobs held a strict and harsh patriarchy, and were the last to accept the mobilisation of female workers. Only in 1916 did military organizations allow temporary female workers to fill jobs, such as military nurses. As such, they still were not recognized as part of the military, as they were only temporarily filling the jobs of men. The military hierarchy refused to recognize the effort of women, although many wore uniforms and worked in war zones. (8) Although many praised the working class women during the time of war, they were still considered temporary workers, who were to be sent away when the men returned. Furthermore, many doubted the ability of women to do previously male jobs, considering women less credible and capable. It is important to note that although millions of women filled in the jobs that soldiers had left, and assisted with manufacturing the necessary supplies, they were far from gaining equal pay, and even equal respect, from their male counterparts (2) Despite the huge movement of working class women in France, very few were allowed to assume positions of responsibility. For example, property was usually assigned to the woman`s son or grandfather (9), and many working farmer women were given instructions from their husbands at war or higher men in power. END OF WAR: Around 1916-1917, censorship of
Resulted in two movements within women of society: one spontaneous and voluntary, from the women at home, and the other shaking the grounds of traditional gendered roles in France
1. WOMEN AT HOME: As men were shipped off to the front for war in 1914, over 120,000 women signed up to become nurses for the wounded, despite only 30,000 being paid (4). The charitability of many women during the war was divided between a drive to be useful and upper class respectability, as many wanted the status of having comforted and helped men during the war. Charity work flared up in France, with many young women sending parcels of supplies and handcrafted gifts to provide morale for not only the troops, but for war refugees and unemployed citizens around the country. 516 charity workshops were set up in Paris alone (4).- Regular women also provided support from home to the soldiers, with letters, supplies, and often clothing. The nickname war godmother was coined in 2015 for women who were willing to play the role of a caring family member to soldiers who were orphans or had no family remaining. These women were also praised for their dedication and played a large role in raising troop morale (5) Traditionally feminine roles still played a large part in war, through knitting and sewing to create handcrafted gifts for the troops (1) 2. …show more content…
WORKING WOMEN: As war dragged on, ammunition and supplies became increasingly rare and more and more men were being sent to the front lines. Women were called upon to replace their male counterparts in industrial labor. From 1914-1918, France mobilised 60% of its male citizens, or 8 million men (4).
7 million women had no jobs due to the disorganization of labour during the war, and the compensation for soldiers’ wives provided by the government for lost revenue was not enough for most families.
Rene Viviani led the first case of mobilised working women, when she called on peasant women in August 7, 1914 to fulfill the jobs of the farmers who had been called to war. 3,200,000 agricultural women filled in the jobs to harvest crops for the next year (6)
Women started filling up jobs in many sectors, such as education. finance, transportation, and eventually industrial labour.
Factories first turned to affectés spéciaux, “special soldiers” who were not qualified for the front line, foreign manpower, and even war prisoners before they began to seriously consider mass hiring of female workers. In November 2015, companies were told to hire women whenever possible. Women who worked in industrial labour were nicknamed “munitionnettes”, and the initial 50,000 before November spiked to 430,000 by 1918 (7) Military jobs held a strict and harsh patriarchy, and were the last to accept the mobilisation of female workers. Only in 1916 did military organizations allow temporary female workers to fill jobs, such as military nurses. As such, they still were not recognized as part of the military, as they were only temporarily filling the jobs of men. The military hierarchy refused to recognize the effort of women, although many wore uniforms and worked in war zones. (8) Although many praised the working class women during the time of war, they were still considered temporary workers, who were to be sent away when the men returned. Furthermore, many doubted the ability of women to do previously male jobs, considering women less credible and capable. It is important to note that although millions of women filled in the jobs that soldiers had left, and assisted with manufacturing the necessary supplies, they were far from gaining equal pay, and even equal respect, from their male counterparts (2) Despite the huge movement of working class women in France, very few were allowed to assume positions of responsibility. For example, property was usually assigned to the woman`s son or grandfather (9), and many working farmer women were given instructions from their husbands at war or higher men in power. END OF WAR: Around 1916-1917, censorship of