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During both world wars, women were required to undertake new roles in their respective national war efforts.[1] Women across the world experienced severe setbacks as well as considerable societal progress during this timeframe.[2] The two world wars hinged as much on industrial production as they did on battlefield clashes.[3] While some women managed to enter the traditionally male career paths, women, for the most part, were expected to be primarily involved in "duties at home" and "women's work," especially after the wars were over.[1] On the other hand, the two wars also victimized women and subjected them to numerous incidences of sexual violence, abuse, and death.[2]
During World War I, women in the Western world, including Europe, Canada, and the United States, contributed to the war efforts on both the home fronts and the battlefields.[2] Women's employment rates skyrocketed in domestic and industrial sectors.[4] Nursing became one of the most popular professions in military employment during these years.[5] In Asia, women's labor in the cotton and silk industries became essential for the economy.[6] Before 1914, few countries, including New Zealand, Australia, and several Scandinavian nations, had given women the right to vote (see Women's suffrage). Still, otherwise, women were minimally involved in the political process. Women's participation in WWI fostered the support and development of the suffrage movement, including in the United States.[7]
During the Second World War, women's contributions to industrial labor in factories located on the home front kept society and the military running while the world was in chaos.[2] Women in the Western World also gained more opportunities to serve directly in their country's armed forces, which they had limited opportunities to do in WWI.[8] At the same time, women faced a significant amount of abuse during this time; the Japanese military systematically raped women across Asia, and Jewish women were physically abused, raped, and murdered in Nazi concentration camps across Europe.[9]
The participation of women in the world wars catalyzed the later recruitment of women in many countries' armed forces.[10] Women's involvement in these wartime efforts exposed their commitment to serving their country and preserving national security and identity.[10]
- ^ a b Adams, R.J.Q. (1978). Arms and the Wizard. Lloyd George and the Ministry of Munitions 1915–1916, London: Cassell & Co Ltd. ISBN 0-304-29916-2. Particularly, Chapter 8: The Women's Part.
- ^ a b c d Wibben, Annick T R, and Jennifer Turpin. "Women and War." In Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict, edited by Lester R. Kurtz. 2nd ed. Elsevier Science & Technology, 2008.
- ^ "What Happened to Women when the Men left". The role of Women in ww1. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
- ^ Greenwald, Maurine W. "Rosie the Riveter." In Encyclopedia of War and American Society, by Peter Karsten. Sage Publications, 2006.
- ^ Wagner, Nancy O'Brien. "Awfully Busy these Days: Red Cross Women in France during World War I." Minnesota History 63.1 (2012): 24–35.
- ^ Hunter, Janet. "Japanese Women at Work, 1990–1920." History Today 43.49 (1993).
- ^ DeBolt, Abbe Allen, and Abbe Allen DeBolt M.S.S. "Nineteenth Amendment." In Encyclopedia of U.S. Campaigns, Elections, and Electoral Behavior, by Kenneth F. Warren. Sage Publications, 2008.
- ^ Manning, Lory. "Military, Women Serving in." In Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, by Jodi O'Brien. Sage Publications, 2009.
- ^ Steitz, Jerstin. "No ‘Innocent Victim’?: Sexual Violence Against Jewish Women during the Holocaust as Trope in Zeugin Aus Der Hölle." Women in German Yearbook 33 (2017): 101–127.
- ^ a b Toktas, Sule. "Nationalism, Modernization, and the Military in Turkey: Women Officers in the Turkish Armed Forces." Oriente Moderno 23 (84) (2004): 247–267.