How Women Progress in Post World War II Labor Force Was Shaped by Political and Social Struggles - Essay Example

HOW WOMEN PROGRESS IN POST WORLD WAR II LABOR FORCE WAS SHAPED BY POLITICAL AND SOCIAL STRUGGLES Introduction The situation of professional women in the labor industry has dramatically changed during the past fifty years. Women have greatly expanded their career aspirations and are no longer confined in the home. Women were traditionally known for their role of nurturing and taking care of their children as well as husbands (Jacobs & Linda, 2010). They were also known to study easier courses such as nursing and teaching which are thought to be less male dominated. However, the situation is continuously changing nowadays as women are being integrated in the traditionally male dominated fields such as medicine, law and engineering. However this does not necessarily mean that that gender inequality has been done away with or that women’s role in the society has changed. Economic inequalities among women have grown tremendously in the recent years. Although gender inequality have somehow diminished in the recent years, job segregation by sex and women working in low paying jobs has actually persisted. The participation of women in the labor market is very necessary as it leads to their self-actualization and eventually the society attains economic independence (Mitchell & Alaine, 2008). It is necessary to put efforts in promoting the participation of women in the labor market and also in quality professions so as to ensure equal treatment between men and women and also to reduce stereotypes. The following essay is aimed at discussing how political and social factors shaped women’s progress in the post-world war II labor force struggles. Discussion Women nowadays comprise the majority of the working class in American institutions. Although American women were allowed to vote since 1920, there are certain social and economic factors which led to uneven gender equality. One of the factors is the traditional view of the woman as a slave, where the woman was viewed as just an object for bearing children. During the 1960’s, there was a sudden wave of social change and the resultant feature was women’s movements (Woodrum, 2008). This was majorly influenced by success of civil rights movement for racial equality and other movements sweeping the nation at the same time which had the same agenda at hand. World War II accelerated the labor movement activity where union membership actually doubled between 1940 and 1945. This was a consequence of many Americans, including women working in factories to produce war materials. In the 1950’s, the labor movements grew tremendously which created a state where workers’ wages grew steadily and union workers earned 20 percent more than those who did not belong to any union (Jacobs & Alaine, 2008). By 1953, the labor movement had won nearly a third of all America’s private sector workers. In 1962, President J. F. Kennedy signed a legislation that allowed the creation of public sector unions in the federal government. Many organizations rose which urged equality for the American women. The organizations were calling for the change of the American institutions, customs and values and also self-awakening and consciousness of both men and women. They believed that this was a great step in the journey towards gender equality. However, this move was not welcomed by several organizations which countered what they believed to be unrestrained feminism. In the years before 1960, the American government produced legislation which actually increased opportunities for women in various institutions (Chang, 2005). When World War II began, it opened up many opportunities because most of the men left their jobs to go work in the armed forces. Before the war began, these jobs were exclusively offered to the men. There was a general assumption that women were too weak to work in the engineering, sciences and manufacturing sectors. Women excelled, enjoyed and performed exemplary well in these jobs. They made airplanes and war ships, ammunitions and tanks and worked in technical and scientific fields. However, when the war ended, most of the women were asked to leave their working places while others were fired so as to give way to the millions of war veterans who could be re- employed. After the war, women returned to be employed in the pink collar work force (secretaries, waitresses, clerics) which were not well paying. These jobs were also not enjoyable and challenging but women were left with no other choice as they wanted to keep working. After World War II, U.S experienced baby boom which was propelled by several demographic factors (Eagly & Johannsson- Schumidt, 2001). A large percentage of women got married and had children after the war and so they remained at home to look for the young children. As women opportunities in the labor force dwindled, they resulted to being home makers with professional virtues. This meant that a woman took the role of being a professional in nurturing and educating her children and also managing her house hold. The schools promoted this ideal and they offered domestic science courses with the idea that women will be full time mothers and wives. Many women felt that these were satisfying roles and they did not ask for more. Women in the labor force encounter difficulties and misconceptions which in turn affect their work performance. Work has always been an important factor to the African Americans as they have always struggled to gain economic opportunity and independence. At certain times, there has been numerous racial tensions and conflicts in the labor unions. Race has been a contentious issue not only in the labor unions but also in the society at large. The blacks have always struggled to obtain full citizenship in the work place and also in the wider society (Healy, 2008). Unions have been essential elements in the U.S democratic society and have also played a more complex and broader role in the American history. However, most of the organized labor unions have aspects of racism which actually contradicts their rhetoric of equality and their discriminatory practices. In the period after emancipation, the national labor organizations had to deal with the race issue. Most of the labor force movements aimed at creating interracial unions but this was not always easy. Conclusion There is a general awareness among employers nowadays that some of the issues which affect women also affect men. This is different from how the situation was 50 years ago. Although organized labor is still a political force in the United States, there has been a decline in the frequency of strikes as well as a reduced percentage of workers who belong to labor unions. References Chang, T. 2005. Local Union Leaders Conception and Ideology of Stewards. Labor Studies Journal. 30(5): 49- 71. Eagly, A. & Johannsson- Schmidt, M. 2001. The Leadership Styles of Women and Men. Journal of Social Issues. 57(10): 781- 797. Healy, G. 2008. The Sex of Class – Women Transforming American Labor. An International Journal of Employment Relations. 46 (4): 816- 818. Jacobs, P. & Linda, S. 2010. Professional Women: The Continuing Struggle for Acceptance and Equality. Journal of Academic and Business Ethics. 10(2): 98- 111. Mitchell K. & Elaine, K. 2008. Women’s Union Leadership: Closing the Gender Gap. The Journal of Labor and Society. 11 (10): 459- 475. Woodrum, R. 2008. For Jobs and Freedom: Race and Labor in America Since 1865. A Journal of Regional Studies. 2(2): 129- 132. Read More