How Did World War II Change the Role of Women in Society?
World War II was a time when Britain and its Allies were fighting against Germany in Europe. Many men had to go to the front line to fight for their countries. The fighting took place on land, at sea and even in the air. But what about women in England? Before the war, most of them were living at home and taking care of their kids. After 1945 everything changed.
During the war, women were assigned jobs that they weren't doing before. The type of job that they did depended on which organisation they joined. The most important organisations were the Auxiliary Territorial Service, Land Army and Women's Voluntary Service.
In 1938, the Women's Voluntary Service was helping many people in need because of the German air strikes. The organisation was working during and after war. Until 1942, this work, led by its 200,000 members, took up much of its time. The watchword of the WVS was: “Never say no”, meaning never give up. Six years later, the numbers grew to 1 million members. In Britain, taking care of war workers’ children was part of the national service – helping the country in war. Working mothers could leave their kids for the WVS to take care of.
In 1939, Britain formed the Land Army. Their aim was to find women who were able to work in the countryside and take the place of men at their jobs. By December, the number of members counted 80,300. It shows how much women were needed during war time.
The ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) was helping the British army defend the country. Women were not allowed to fire guns or go into action. Instead, they were employed to spot enemies. One year later, the organisation had 17,000 members. By 1943 , the number grew to 200,000 members. In the ATS, sometimes women had higher ranking jobs than men which hadn't been the case before the war. This resulted in men being annoyed because of women telling them what to do. However, women still received lower wages than men.
After the war women went back to their old jobs. A lot of women went to do medical work as nurses or first-aiders. 343,100 women served as such during the war. At the end of the war, child benefits were paid directly to mothers, making them more independent and free. By 1945, women proved they could compete in a man's world.
