Gender Roles in the Second World War in the UK - Essay Example

Page Why women were constantly reminded of the need to maintain their femininity even as they deviated from traditional gender roles in the Second World War (UK) Your name Professor’s name History and Political Science Date submitted Table of Contents Introduction 3 Femininity definition and classification 3 Femininity during the second world war 5 Women in Wales 6 Women at war 7 Restoration of peace and order 9 Female Privileges 11 Conclusion 12 Reference list 13 Why women were constantly reminded of the need to maintain their femininity even as they deviated from traditional gender roles in the Second World War (UK) Introduction We have heard in many times that femininity is about child-bearing, about motherhood, home keeping, sex life, inner and outer beauty. Many Writers construed feminism to mean differently. There are those who said it is a term that belongs to a specific movement in US and Europe and is linked to activism, and there are those who refer to the term as injustices to women. But did these things mattered to women as they deviated from their traditional roles in the Second World War, particularly in UK? Our goal here is to sketch feminisms as they deviated from their traditional roles during WWII. Femininity classification and definition Before 1800s feminism refers to the qualities of women. The term begins to take new meaning with the beginning of feminist’s movement who asked for equal rights, so it was called the first wave of feminism. The movement was briefly forgotten during the war upon which, feminism took a new meaning for them, that of leaving the patriarchal society to become members of the men’s world. The study of Ziegler, Kathryn, refers to two kinds of feminity, one is the conventional and the other is the formidable femininity. To her, conventional roles are those associated with docility, passivity and weakness. On the other hand, a formidable feminity has a redefined role in that they use their bodies to enact manly techniques. Their femininity is redefined as their performances are constituted with fighting, feminine fashions and sexiness. Thus Kathryn , Ziegler, said, formidable femininity “diminish their dependence on men, maintain their femininity. She concludes that women can be both feminine and formidable at the same time. They can learn to protect themselves by learning techniques for fighting .Feminity is also defined by Brownmiller, Susan, as “making oneself as harmless, and that the feminine principle is composed of compliance and conflict”. Brownmiller argues that femininity merges female weaknesses with conflict avoidance and good will. Brownmiller is a controversial writer because of her assertion that “rape is a process of intimidation in which all men keep women in a state of fear” She said rape is a tool used by men ever since as a form of oppression to women. She said that femininity pleases men because it makes them appear to be more masculine, and by behavior, female expresses femininity by tearful expression of sentiments and fear as one way of establishing route to success. Femininity did not vanish when women became workers. It is alive and well in the workplace. The Second World War changed everything in the British way of life. Their work, family, government’s policies all changed because of war. It practically altered the roles of women and almost challenged the roles of gender relations as women were called on to work on men’s field. The war had changed the contours of society, erased the division of class, had challenged the existence of gender (Swanson, Gillian and Gledhill, Christine, 28 February 2012). .In all of these work changes, their femininity allows them to move in the work places away from their traditional roles. In a way, women used femininity as a competitive edge in getting and keeping their jobs. In a sense, this also pleased businessmen and even the government because women were paid less for the same man’s work In Chapter 10 “Mothers as wives in an individualistic society”, “feminity” is defined as “being little, vulnerable indecisive, in need of protection, soft, delicate, frivolous and a non-threat.” Here, femininity is discussed as a role that “requires women to be harmless and to enhance man’s ego by means of deference displays that must never become crudely obvious”. Femininity in this Chapter further means that it is a “pervasive quality of a person and becomes a and becomes a built-in handicap for women in competition with men”. Following the above definitions, the study will now trace if women deviated from their femininity while performing non-traditional female roles during the Second World War. Femininity during the Second World War Perhaps they were considered non-threat and even a war-help because women were encouraged to register their services in mercy duties, production, substitution for men in government and commercial offices, air-raid precautions, and transport and entertainment. Responding to the patriotic call for duty, 94,000 women entered the workforce, mainly in defense production. Defense production is a manly job to which women were assigned, but women carried a firm resolution that said: “Our chief task, so far as now can be seen, is to help preserve in Australia, a spirit of sanity, justice and freedom”(“Women working together”). As the war was declared, women in the nursing positions volunteered their services to the military. But their volunteerism was put to a standstill when the War Office advised them to go home, sit still, and just knit socks for the soldiers. But these women say no, and together, they refused to accept the war had nothing to do with ladies. Women’s efforts during the war, the period 1939 to 1945, gave the women an opportunity to learn new skills and do many traditionally male jobs. By joining the army, armaments and agriculture industry, women gained social status and their self confidence was boosted. Their roles became in demand because of war, but they did not lost femininity because they are doing this as part of its culture of good will that is one of the traits of formidable femininity. The definition of feminity also adopts to those women who stayed behind because they are the unsung heroes, like the mothers who had towork and raise her children alone, behind the panics and glooms of war, hunger and starvation because fathers went to war; and the girls, who did not join the war efforts, either knitted socks and made uniforms for the soldiers. Some preferred to stay at home because of family attachments, and were dissuaded upon by their parents. Women who joined various army services said they were merely doing a patriotic duty, but some said they were attracted by the nice posters that offered good pay. And others were for adventure, little did they know of the dangers of war. One thing good about that war is that there was no discrimination, people got closer, and it gave women more confidence. But the bad side is that families were disrupted by the father’s absence, women had to work harder on fields, but more importantly, men accepted women as equals in work situations. Women in Wales I n Wales, the stereotyped roles of women was always lower than that its male counterparts. The popular images of Wales were males, and their sport naturally pertains to male. Rugby is the middle of nation’s interest because of its strength and aggression. But women did not participate in this sport; or if they were present, they were only barmaids in the stadium, or just to serve tea after the game (Contemporary Wales 1.1.3 Gender and race). This attitude is keeping the conservative tradition of being docile and harmless of female. However this attitude of women began to change as they gained independence and women started to watch rugby games. As rugby is akin to masculinity so the female is marginalized in this sport Female status in Wales changed significantly as they became employed as munitions workers during WWII. Wiliam, Mara, reported that when war was at its peak in 1945, women employed as munitions workers comprised of 50 per cent of all Wales workers in all of the English regions. This high time employment later on was recognized as some kind of inner revolution in the lives of women of South Wales, yet they were soon forgotten in history. Mara caused a book to be written on the role of munitions women in the economy of Wales. In this book, Williams related a topic which was barely touched by other historians, such as the impact of wartime at the cultural and social lives of Wales people. William said that employment of women during the war began the economic changes in the lives of people during that time because the people lived in economic chaos since 1920s due to the prolonged depression that brought the coal industry down. People fought unemployment and poverty for a long time, and war, though disastrous to others brought economic relief to Wales as it has solved unemployment problems. Very few had thought that women could be largely employed in wartime work because Wales is a conservative country. They are sexists in a sense that the working lives of men and women here are segregated. They believed on a male dominated society and female status is a secondary issue. So in this particular matter, war changed the exclusivity of male employment and has changed the culture of femininity. Women at War Fiona Reid, describes in her novel the pains of a shell-shocked officer coming home from war. The author connects the shell shock to gender based hierarchy, wherein for women, shell shock is considered a female malady, but a lot of soldiers said that is lack of masculinity during combat. However, the government was quick to respond that “the popular sympathy for shell shockers should not erode masculinity prestige” Emphasis here is given on difference of the treatment of male soldiers from women and an open reminder from the government of gender roles. (Women and War) Leigh Verryl-Rhys and Deidre Beddoe said Welsh women engineers deserved to be given honors because of the support they gave to soldiers during the war. They served not only the country but also at their home, meaning they were also occupied doing homemakers work even at war, they have kept their femininity in tact despite the odd jobs of serving the country. Although the men fought in the front line, women also risked their lives in supporting them. Women started serving the army and were recruited at the age of 19 to 30, with terminal age of 43. Women also served voluntarily as they raised funds to help the soldiers. Even at this stage of hard work and danger, women received negative attitudes and discrimination from male workers. Men were not happy to work alongside with women, but women were determined to continue even they are paid half of the man’s pay doing the same job. The implication of this attitude is attestation that women could be both formidable and conventional in their approach to femininity. Restoration of peace and order Austin Knight described in his book that what makes the world “a war mad inferno is greed of man and machines” and this is what broke the goodness of God’s creation. Thus, to restore order in Britain, a place devastated by war, the crucial test during the times of peace is how to transform the millions of men and women from war work to peaceful occupation, and at that time, Knight believes Britain is not ready yet. These workers were employed in different services of the government, factories and shops; they saved the nation because they believed their happiness depended upon their freedom. After the war, the biggest problem of Britain is restoration. In going home, the sad fact remains that the consequence of war lies in their shoulders. They come to realize that they are doomed to face unemployment again. Knight believes that the masses should be protected because they are the factors of state stability. In a civilized community like Britain, there are two classes of people, those who have, and those who have nots. The have nots have to be protected because it should be remembered that in times of peril, the have nots, in their million numbers were ready to go to death to protect the property and lives of the “haves”, Knight contends. Thus, in this thinking, Knight argues that the security of the masses should be the first order for reconstruction and the world Britain is making. Knight, however did not define seclusion of women in this undertaking. It is beyond thinking that women has its proper place in this rebuilding, because aren’t they part of war history? The war in Europe ended in May 1945. At this time estimated female in the military service were 460,000 in the military, and it was acknowledged that without the female contribution, war effort would have been weakened (Women in World war Two). However, in N, Germany, Hitler had a different view on German women. He believed on the conservative role of women and that they should stay at home. But he views femininity differently on foreign women because he was happy to let captives work in their factories. But these captives men and women secretly sabotaged their work so that even in a small waym they were able to contribute to war efforts of Allies. (Women in World War Two). This is a manifestation that even in most dangerous moments, like war, femininity is retained and respect is gained. The period after the war was marked with optimism. During the war, unemployment in Wales had practically disappeared. After the war, the government had promised that unemployment should not happen again in the country. This means employment is also assured to women workers. The determination of the government led to the passing o the Distribution of Industry Act, and to the coming of the flood of new industries that replaced the ailing coal industry. Inefficient coal mines were closed thus reducing the number of miners in the industry. In other areas, revitalization and growth took place in heavy industries of metal, steel and refurbishing of the harbor. The heavy investments in refineries, in nuclear power station, and hydroelectric schemes did not provide full employment. It was only investments in light industries that reigned and transformed the economy of the country. Thus all these cycles made the economy and society of Wales different from the way it was before the war. (Post World War II- Wales) Also after the World War Two, Australia feared the spread of communism. They were threatened by a new enemy: the communists. But this ended as Australia drew closer ties with United States and again participated in war overseas, like the war in Vietnam. This drew protests from anti-war movements, thus the post-World War Two era is marked by political and social protests (Australia: after World War Two) This era also introduced more feminists movement whose main concern were for culture and education, health and sexuality. The era between the wars won for the women the right to vote and participate in t politics. This period is characterized as the second wave of feminism that looked at sexual liberation and repressive qualities of 1960s society. The movement made impressive results because it made important changes in the society. It resulted for more women employment, social and political opportunities for women. As a consequence, there are women leaders in the society today; Margaret Thatcher, for one, is a name to reckon with. Nobody forgets Queen Elizabeth who is the reigning queen of England, and Dr. Quentin Bryce, the governor-general of Australia in 2008. Gov. Bryce is a human rights advocate and a Federal Sex Commissioner aside from other positions she held in the government. Year by year, the roles of women became important issues. In 1970, women issues were about the changing roles of women and the employment prospects; in 1980s, issues talked about were the proposition of involvement of women in the restructuring of the economy and the change of occupations from manufacturing to service occupations. In 1990s debates were centered on family relationship, between work, family life, consumption levels, socialization and education. It is estimated that half of British women work, half of them are part-time workers. But the remaining source of division is with regard to access to employment of male and female occupations, wage pay for similar kind of work, and the allocation of domestic tasks, like sharing of house responsibilities, menial work such as who prepares the evening meal. (Countries and Their Culture). United Kingdom) Female Privileges In all these discussions, it is safe to conclude that women were always reminded of their femininity because of female privileges, in the same way that there are male advantages due to the patriarchy culture. During the war, women were likely to be seen as a threat, but rather considered as an alternative. The work done by women was emphasized by many historians only as a support to men in the front line of war. In biological perspective it is a privilege that woman can be able to give birth to another human being, and do the best to mold him into the kind of person chosen and this has no season, it can happen in war and peace. Women can use the “sheer fear of tears” of men to her advantage. Tears soften the hearts of men , an act sometimes used by women to win arguments. Even if a woman works, she is not expected to be the breadwinner, so her excessive shopping, fancy for clothes and jewelry is not questioned, except when during the war when women were given curfews because of excessive night entertainment. As a woman, it is her privilege to wear a wide variety of clothes, from jeans to dresses without ridicule. During the war, women were proud to wear military uniforms. Women usually found someone to help overcome obstacles of hard jobs, like changing tires of military trucks and ambulances. As a woman too, she is not afraid to ask the perspective of others in the issue, as when the nurses asked the government if they could join the auxiliary. They did not take NO for an answer, and the rest is history. Conclusion In the times after the war, women privileges could be found in chivalrous acts of men: as in when a man offers a door for a woman, offer to lift heavy boxes, or any other heavy roles. This kind of chivalrous acts paves the way for the thinking that male posses greater competence and women seen as fragile and weak. In so many instances, the stereotyped behavior that women can change her mind is fortified as a privilege and easily forgiven. If this is meant to be a privilege, then, let it be, because according to some studies women live longer than men due to lifestyle. Most often women outlive men by about 5 to 7 years. Therefore femininity is not forgotten in the different facets of women’s life because it is inherent in her characteristics both as in formidable and conventional ones. When combined, it gives women a right to pursue equality in all areas in home, society and at work. Reference list Australia: After World War Two. Swirk.com.au. viewed 24 April 2012. Brownmiller, Susan 1984. Femininity, Published by Linden Books, Division of Simon and Schuster, viewed 24 April2008 http://www.enotes.com/susan-brownmiller-criticism/brownmiller-susan Chapter Ten – Mothers as Wives in an Individualistic Society, n.d., UC Press E-Books Collection, 1982-2004. University of CALIFORNIA Press, viewed 23 April 2012 Countries and Their Culture - United Kingdom n.d., Every Culture viewed 24 April 2012 Knight, Austin. New Oder: Faith, Security and Peace, n.d.,viewed 24 April 2012 Read More