Women Rising From the Ashes of War - Essay Example

Women Rising From the Ashes of War The historical feuding of nations all over the world during the civil war has considerably affected the status ofwomen. The world has witnessed the emergence of their strengths and vulnerabilities at a critical time when survival was desperately the only motivation to go on. A study of this is vital to understand how women coped and adapted their lives to juggle a work and home life without their husbands. How did the war affect women? Were they emancipated from their traditional roles as relegated to care for the home and family or did war just strengthened traditional roles for women? . When World War Two broke out, it was a signal that turbulent times were ahead. Men were recruited to fight for their countries. Women had no choice but to let go of their men. It was unknown to everyone what the future will bring, but when the war broke out, it seemed that a bleak tomorrow threatened the world. Women, in particular, assailed by a series of unending attacks to their humanity and had to claw at what appears to be a hint of hope for survival. Class distinctions broke down and the formerly rich women adjusted to life’s painful realities that they had to live like the rest of the commoners. “Mass observation surveys conducted during 1941 found that many who advocated conscription believed it would force ‘idle rich girls’ to work.” (Smith: 215) The war demanded enormous manpower, not just in the armed forces, but also in industry. Millions of men joined the forces, which left many industries without a satisfactory workforce. The government realised that this shortfall had to be filled, approximately one and a half million workers were needed in munitions alone and it was vital to keep up the production of essential wartime machinery and equipment. The government therefore, took the decision to draft women into ‘men’s’ jobs, just as they had done during the First World War, in an attempt to keep production at a steady level. The new realities faced by the women necessitated that they likewise take part in the war effort in any capacity they can. Most women had to leave their homes to work in a variety of occupations. The ‘Registration of Employment Order’ was introduced in the spring of 1941, forcing everyone to declare their existing work-based situation, which allowed the government to record the details of those that needed directing into vital war work. This encouraged approximately eighty-seven thousand women into work in the auxiliary services and munitions. However, there was still a shortage of people undertaking vital war work and, as a result of this, the government introduced the National Service Number Two Act in December 1941, which made the conscription of unmarried and childless women aged twenty to thirty mandatory. Many women had mixed feelings about this. They could be posted anywhere in the country, miles away from their families, often for the very first time. Some were pleased with the opportunity to escape and explore; others were unhappy about being forced to leave their homes and loved ones behind. It is true that women had to adapt to a new androgynous ideal often without any help. “Women could be prosecuted for avoiding work in ‘men’s jobs’ for the war effort if they did not come within one of the exemption categories, but men were given no encouragement to take a share of ‘women’s work’ in the home” (Gledhill & Swanson: 39). Discrimination was also commonplace within the working environment. Women were not deemed as clever or as physically strong as their male counterparts, and as a result, were often harassed, by their bosses and trade unionists. They therefore, had to fight to be taken seriously because their male counterparts were often very suspicious of them and found their appearance in work overalls and dungarees distasteful. However, women more often than not disproved men’s suspicions. Men were surprised at the skills women were learning at such a fast rate that they were usually at a loss as to what orders to give them. “Members of the ATS did not get the glamour jobs - they acted as drivers, worked in mess halls where many had to peel potatoes, acted a cleaners and they worked on anti-aircraft guns. But an order by Winston Churchill forbade ATS ladies from actually firing an AA gun as he felt that they would not be able to cope with the knowledge that they might have shot down and killed young German men. His attitude was odd as ATS ladies were allowed to track a plane, fuse the shells and be there when the firing cord was pulled……”(Trueman, 2000). It was a time for women to shine despite the discrimination they were experiencing. When no other men were available, women were given significant tasks. “Women were also used as secret agents. They were members of SOE (Special Operations Executive) and were usually parachuted into occupied France or landed in special Lysander planes. Their work was exceptionally dangerous as just one slip could lead to capture, torture and death. Their work was to find out all that they could to support the Allies for the planned landings in Normandy in June 1944 (Roberts, n.d.). Women were initially trained to the same standard as men, but employers eventually didn’t want to hire fully trained women because they received better pay, which upset the trained male workers, causing friction in the workplace. The government tried to remedy this problem by reducing the length of training courses for women, which inevitably resulted in the occurrence of work-based accidents among women. The government also entered into the ‘relaxation agreements’ with trade unionists, which stated that women could undertake men’s jobs as long as they were regarded as temporary and were paid the same as men. The predominantly male trade unions, therefore, initially looked like they truly wanted equal pay and equality for women, but in reality, they were merely trying to protect the traditional working rights of men. Yet, when faced with discrimination, the majority of women continued to work hard to gain their superiors’ respect and often carried out their jobs to a higher standard than their male equivalents. The question of whether war had an emancipating effect on women remains to be a constant point of debate among historians. True, the war brought out the worse and the best in everybody, including women whose strengths and potentials for a variety of skills surfaced at a time when it was so badly needed, to the surprise of everybody. It was an astonishing and serendipitous revelation that women are able to combine work, marriage and motherhood without seriously undermining their expected home responsibilities. A woman’s participation in the war effort did not doom conventional sexual divisions of labour while compensating her work with much needed payment without threatening her domestic duties. This multi-faceted role also gave her a feeling of personal importance which is mostly taken for granted by the people around her Summerfield (1998). Having proven their mettle, women can now face more challenges in this new millennium. More and more women have taken their place beyond the glass ceiling, gaining both the ire and respect of the men they topple down from position. With this upward trend, women may look forward to better opportunities for them not only at work, but in society as well. Women’s ability to multitask their many roles both at home and at work gives them more credibility to be offered higher positions in society. The rise of lady rulers are proofs that indeed, women can be equal to men. So what is the general effect of war of women? Not emancipation from the bondage of gender stereotype, as the fight is still on for gender equity, but temporary diversion from long-held roles. Most importantly, war’s effect and legacy on women is EMPOWERMENT. Such a legacy may be used to finally attain the emancipation most women desire. Works Cited Gledhill, A. and Swanson, G., Nationalising Femininity: Culture, Sexuality and British Cinema in the Second World War, 1st edit Manchester uni press, Manchester, 1996 Roberts, H.T, The ATS in the Desert: Part I Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/88/a2065088.shtml, n.p. Smith, H.L, War and Social Change, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 1986. Summerfield, P., Reconstructing Women’s Wartime Lives, 1st edit Manchester: Manchester Uni Press, 1998. Trueman, C., Women in World War Two. Retrieved from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/women_WW2.htm Read More