Introduction Today, the world is facing many issues and problems involving gender inequality, especially in the workplace. These issues are not new, but have developed from the gender inequality that existed during WWII. This causes the question to be raise, to what extent did female involvement in WWII impact gender roles in the 1940s? The workplace was almost entirely all-male before the start of the either world war, but the present circumstances during these times required change, thus changing the roles of women in society. Based on women’s involvement in WWII specifically in the workplace, a new gender equality movement was initiated, which furthered women’s rights during the war due to their need to gain new responsibilities; however,
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This new branch of the United States government was initiated by William Donovan 's Memorandum of Establishment of Service of Strategic Information in 1941. This document provides details of why the branch should include the work of military operatives and civilians who specialize in specific fields like technology, economics, finances, psychology. The inclusion of civilians allowed women to become involved in the OSS, such as Virginia Hall, who became a radio/wireless operator, and Elizabeth McIntosh, who posted fake Japanese news reports to undermine Japanese morale during the war. Before the war, these women were not given these opportunities to be involved in the government so directly, but WWII had allowed women to become involved differently in society, giving them more responsibilities and freedoms especially in the workplace. Not only were women beginning to receive recognition in industry, but the inclusion of women in government jobs indicates how the nation as a whole is evolving due to the war. The government was beginning to understand the value of women in the workforce, thus influencing the perception of women across the …show more content…
The new freedoms and responsibilities given to women during WWII contributed to the push for gender equality especially in the workplace, but past social norms took precedence over the new changes. During the war, employers began making accommodations for women such as offering part-time work to married women with children so they were able to be home when their children returned from school. This change in treatment towards women in the workplace was welcomed by the women, as evident by the continued increase of women in the workforce through the war. However, once the war was over, the men came back from Europe and Japan and expected to return to their jobs because it was expected by employers that women being in the workforce was temporary. Furthermore, it was difficult for managements to keep equal pay among both men and women, and it was the belief of my employers that the men 's jobs took precedence over the women 's. Men were given their jobs back, resulting in the loss of many jobs for women after the war. Gender equality was given an opportunity during WWII, but the people’s strong ties to past societal norms took precedence over
This new branch of the United States government was initiated by William Donovan 's Memorandum of Establishment of Service of Strategic Information in 1941. This document provides details of why the branch should include the work of military operatives and civilians who specialize in specific fields like technology, economics, finances, psychology. The inclusion of civilians allowed women to become involved in the OSS, such as Virginia Hall, who became a radio/wireless operator, and Elizabeth McIntosh, who posted fake Japanese news reports to undermine Japanese morale during the war. Before the war, these women were not given these opportunities to be involved in the government so directly, but WWII had allowed women to become involved differently in society, giving them more responsibilities and freedoms especially in the workplace. Not only were women beginning to receive recognition in industry, but the inclusion of women in government jobs indicates how the nation as a whole is evolving due to the war. The government was beginning to understand the value of women in the workforce, thus influencing the perception of women across the …show more content…
The new freedoms and responsibilities given to women during WWII contributed to the push for gender equality especially in the workplace, but past social norms took precedence over the new changes. During the war, employers began making accommodations for women such as offering part-time work to married women with children so they were able to be home when their children returned from school. This change in treatment towards women in the workplace was welcomed by the women, as evident by the continued increase of women in the workforce through the war. However, once the war was over, the men came back from Europe and Japan and expected to return to their jobs because it was expected by employers that women being in the workforce was temporary. Furthermore, it was difficult for managements to keep equal pay among both men and women, and it was the belief of my employers that the men 's jobs took precedence over the women 's. Men were given their jobs back, resulting in the loss of many jobs for women after the war. Gender equality was given an opportunity during WWII, but the people’s strong ties to past societal norms took precedence over