Feminism in American culture after the impacts of World War II.

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Alex Waterfill
Montgomery Wolf
History 2112
21 March 2021
A War for Independence: Woman’s Fight in the Good War
World War II created many changes in the world, and few bigger changes was when
women started to obtain independence. Although this independence was minimal in some cases,
it was an experience different than any other generations of women in American history.
Women, mainly, were still at the mercy of their husbands, male employers, and other forces in a
patriarchal society, however, the women of World War II were the first nationwide generation to
work outside of the home. This led to new experiences of success, but mostly to entirely new
hardships. Women still had the jobs of raising children but gained new tasks in working to
support their families and the war effort. Importantly, this new experience of independence had a
lasting effect well beyond World War II. The generation of women that lived through World
War II, brought on by the circumstances of the war, began new experiences of independence and
importance changed the meaning of strength for women in the workforce and in their homes.
New importance began in the workforce quickly during the early days of the war. As
many men were drafted to fight in World War II, and many more were working jobs to support
the war, women were left to fill many vacancies across the country. Men had left jobs that were

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still essential for everyday life in America and women were the group to fill the ever-pressing
void. As stated in U.S. History,
For many women, these jobs provided unprecedented opportunities to move into
occupations previously thought of as exclusive to men, especially the aircraft industry,
where a majority of workers were composed of women by 1943. Most women in the
labor force did not work in the defense industry, however. The majority took over other
factory jobs that had been held by men. Many took positions in offices as well. (U.S.
History, p. 801)
Women proved that everyone had to come together to make ends meet during this intense
World War. An iconic example of propaganda created to encourage women to join the
workforce, especially factory work for the war, was Rosie the Riveter. Rosie the Riveter, a
composite of several women depicted in a painting by Norman Rockwell, played to the interest
of women for this movement, by being both tough and feminine (U.S. History, p. 801). In these
hard times, however, men were not so gracious of women’s ability to fill these roles. Men
became extremely concerned what this new place in the workforce would do with the women
that they knew and were comfortable with. U.S. History (2014) states the description of women’s
appearance, “To reassure men that the demands of war would not make women too masculine,
some factories gave female employees lessons in how to apply makeup, and cosmetics were
never rationed during the war. (U.S. History p. 801). Controlling the feminine nature of women
was just the beginning of men’s efforts to control women in the workforce. Women were subject
to cruel standards of workplace decency set by the men still in these industries. Women were
subject to lower pay and substandard working conditions. In Studs Terkel’s collection of
personal narratives, The Good War (1984), he collects the memories that were retold from first-
hand experience. In The Good War, many women told their stories of workplace experiences.

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One of these women was Peggy Terry, a woman from Kentucky who worked during the war.
Terry recalled,
I think of how little we knew of human right, union rights. We knew Daddy was a hell-
raiser in the mine worker’s union, but at that point it hadn’t rubbed off on any of us
women. Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper were allowed, but not a drop of water. You could only
get a drink of water if you went to the cafeteria, which was about two city blocks away.
Of course you couldn’t leave your machine long enough to get a drink. I drank Coke and
Dr. Pepper and I hated ‘em. I hate ‘em today. We had to buy it, if course. We couldn’t
leave to go to the bathroom, cause it was way the heck over there. (Terry, pp. 109-110)
This story speaks to the little protection women had from unions in their work. Women
also had to deal with fear tactics from male employers to scare them into keeping their jobs
instead of looking for other work. This was done by threats of having fingerprints taken and
being blacklisted from any new job (Terry, p. 109). Despite these dangerous conditions, women
persevered and never gave up their foothold in the American workforce. Even when women
would lose their jobs or be bullied by male superiors, World War II saw a beginning of American
women holding a new place in the workforce that would never be surrendered.
Stating women’s role in the workforce to help the war effort is a small part in explaining
all of the work that women did to aid the Allied Forces. Venturing past the factory held a new
place for women to explore. World War II saw women becoming heavily involved in the Armed
Forces. Women felt just as large a call to action as the men and they filled their roles to their
furthest extent. U.S. History gives detail into the role that women played in the Armed Forces
during the War,
Tens of thousands of women served in the war effort more directly.
Approximately 350,000 joined the military. They worked as nurses, drove trucks, repaired

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airplanes, and performed clerical work to free up men for combat. Those who joined the
Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) flew planes from the factories to military bases.
(U.S. History, p. 802)
Women felt that it was necessary to be brave and help with the war effort, even if that
effort was on the battlefield. Along with the men of the war, the women in these roles were far
from danger. U.S. History continues, “Some of these women were killed in combat and captured
as prisoners of war. Over sixteen hundred of the women nurses received various decorations for
courage under fire” (U.S. History, p. 802). The women of World War II were essential for
combat zones for their contributions came at a cost and were recognized as such. This call to
action is echoed by the women who served as nurses that were interviewed by Studs Terkel. In
an interview with Betty Bayse Hutchinson, she recalls her need to serve her fellow countrymen
in the war effort. Hutchinson stated, “I was going to become a nurse. That was the fastest thing I
could do to help our boys. Here I was only one semester at Fresno State, and by February 5, I
was out at the hospital as a registered nurse” (Hutchinson, p. 129). Hutchinson was one of the
many women who took advantage of expedited programs to be helpful to their nation during
World War II. In World War II, because of the nationwide need for women to become a part of
the workforce and the military, women became recognized for their role in the war and begin to
be more recognized for serving their country in times of crisis.
The changes that came as a result of crisis were an unprecedented time in the public of
American women and women had no desire to look back. Women had a desire to keep their
newly found independence. Dellie Hahne made a point of this when interviewed by Terkel.
Hahne explained,

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I think a lot of women said, Screw that noise. ‘Cause they had a taste of freedom, they
had a taste of making their own money, a taste of spending their own money, making
their own decisions. I think the beginning of the women’s movement had its seeds right
there in World War Two (Hahne, p. 122)
Women were extremely dependent on their husbands for daily stability in every
generation of American history up to the point of World War II. Though it remained true that a
woman being completely independent and respected was still many years away, the women of
World War II knew that they could not go back to being helpless for themselves. Women could
finally have at least a little bit of money or resources that they could claim as their own. As
Hahne states, this newly found independence would lay the foundation for feminist’s movements
that are lasting to the present day. In World War II, women had a chance to finally become
independent in a way that inspired a future of respect.
World War II was quintessential for many changes in global and American culture, and
no change was larger than the movement of women’s respect and independence. Though it is
true that there were some independent women before the war, and that women still had many
obstacles in the rest of the 20th
century, the foundation laid during World War II was the most
significance. Women, like many other times in history, became the backbone of the nation when
the nation needed them most. Women were there to keep nationwide industries alive and be
active during combat. The bravery and courage from the women of World War II propelled
future generations with inspiration of a world with respect and recognition.

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Works Cited
Terry, Peggy. Interview conducted by Studs Terkel. The Good War, 1984. Pp. 109,110
Hutchinson, Betty Bayse. Interview conducted by Studs Terkel. The Good War, 1984. Pp. 129
Dellie Hahne. Interview conducted by Studs Terkel. The Good War, 1984. Pp. 122
P. Scott Corbett, Volker Janssen, John M. Lund, Todd Pfannestiel, Sylvie Waskiewicz, Paul
Vickery. U.S. History. 30 December 2014. OpenStax