2
At the peak of the 20th century, political turmoil between the major powers of the world resulted into one of the most significant and devastating periods of the 20th century. The Second World War, also known as World War 2, was a global war that erupted as a result of tensions between global powers. “The war was in many respects a continuation after an uneasy 20 year hiatus of disputes left unsettled by the First World War” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, World War II). The Second World War included the “vast majority of the world’s nations” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, World War II) – inevitably fabricating two adverse military alliances- the Allies and Axis. “The principal belligerents” were the Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—and the Allies—France, …show more content…
By using our sociological imagination, we must keep in mind the 3 components that are crucial in helping us to understand how social roles and norms affiliated with women in the past have changed: the understanding of history, social structures, and the individual biographies of women. By examining the history and social structure of women prior to the Second World War, we can begin to understand how “Rosie” has altered society’s image of women, thus diverting stereotypical social roles and norms which had been assigned to women for centuries. Within the years leading up to the Second World War, the social roles of women were quite narrow and simple, yet predominant. They were typically expected to marry at an early age and stay at home to raise a family, while their husbands, who at the time were considered as the “head of the household”, work a job and return home at the end of the day. The sociological imagination can be applied to alter our perspective of these predisposed roles. As the war erupted, these social roles women started to change. “Many women began working in factories, manufacturing airplanes and working in shipyards; proving that women could perform “men’s work.” Just as women’s role changed during World War II, it would change after the war was over and continue to evolve even today” (Social.rollins.edu, Gender Roles in a Post-War America). Throughout the political turmoil of the 1940s, the expectations and social roles of women were vastly expanding, which differed from the social structure, roles and norms that had been assigned to women during the 20th century. This drastic and exceptionally contrasting change was one of the upsides of the war. It
At the peak of the 20th century, political turmoil between the major powers of the world resulted into one of the most significant and devastating periods of the 20th century. The Second World War, also known as World War 2, was a global war that erupted as a result of tensions between global powers. “The war was in many respects a continuation after an uneasy 20 year hiatus of disputes left unsettled by the First World War” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, World War II). The Second World War included the “vast majority of the world’s nations” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, World War II) – inevitably fabricating two adverse military alliances- the Allies and Axis. “The principal belligerents” were the Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—and the Allies—France, …show more content…
By using our sociological imagination, we must keep in mind the 3 components that are crucial in helping us to understand how social roles and norms affiliated with women in the past have changed: the understanding of history, social structures, and the individual biographies of women. By examining the history and social structure of women prior to the Second World War, we can begin to understand how “Rosie” has altered society’s image of women, thus diverting stereotypical social roles and norms which had been assigned to women for centuries. Within the years leading up to the Second World War, the social roles of women were quite narrow and simple, yet predominant. They were typically expected to marry at an early age and stay at home to raise a family, while their husbands, who at the time were considered as the “head of the household”, work a job and return home at the end of the day. The sociological imagination can be applied to alter our perspective of these predisposed roles. As the war erupted, these social roles women started to change. “Many women began working in factories, manufacturing airplanes and working in shipyards; proving that women could perform “men’s work.” Just as women’s role changed during World War II, it would change after the war was over and continue to evolve even today” (Social.rollins.edu, Gender Roles in a Post-War America). Throughout the political turmoil of the 1940s, the expectations and social roles of women were vastly expanding, which differed from the social structure, roles and norms that had been assigned to women during the 20th century. This drastic and exceptionally contrasting change was one of the upsides of the war. It