The Role of Women in the Second World War

Introduction 

The Second World War, a bloody geopolitical clash, span from the years 1939 to 1945, involving mainly all the countries in the world. The war is the greatest in the world up to today because of the about to 40-50 million casualties recorded during the war as a result of combat and other related incidences. Notably, the war was divided into two sides with the Axis powers and the allied forces. The Axis powers included Germany, Italy, and Japan, while the allies were France, Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union. With such powers aligned for support of combat against each other, the rest of the world was inclined to join either side, either willingly to protect their interests or forcibly because some of the countries were still under colonization by the rest of the developed countries (“World War II 1939–1945.” 2015). 

The Second World War happened after 20 years after the first world war, and the reason behind these two clashes was strikingly similar. However, the Second World War was an extension of the unsettled disputes, and the two sides only increased their ability to retaliate in case of attacks. For twenty years, the world was positioned to make fall into a world war again because of the unresolved tensions and the premature end of the previous conflict. The involvement of all other countries in the tense relationship between the then economic powers escalated the situation, and each of the forces were keen on improving their military prowess over time. However, there were other numerous reasons why the war became so infamous, including the spread of the Nazi ideologies into European countries forcibly, the formation of a treaty amongst the Axis countries, and a need to control waters around the world. 

Background Information 

The era of the Second World War was part of early civilization and industrialization was picking up with most countries pursuing engineering inventions. Politically, countries were stabilizing their political fronts, especially those that were already free for years, except a few of the African countries and other continents that were still under colonization. The period of the Second World War was when the world was coming to terms with the need to protect human rights, and the slave trade had ceased. However, the social structures around the world still regarded the women in low stature, and therefore, the role of women in the industrialization process was minimal and, at most marginal. In the era, women were only allowed to work menially because of the societal stereotype that perceived women as weak. Therefore, the role of women in the world war reflected such a highly patriarchal community. The leadership in every aspect of the war, from military combat to planning assaults, was strictly the role of men. Women were never considered for active duty on the forces and therefore received some of the secretarial jobs available. 

However, the Second World War was massive in magnitude, and its demands of resources and human resources continued to increase as the tensions and the preparations for battle escalated. The men were eventually overwhelmed, and most of the jobs previously occupied by men were left vacant, and this prompted the increased recruitment of women into some of these positions. Most leaders, especially in allied nations such as the US-run campaigns to encourage women to take up jobs in the military, which was not an easily agreeable decision. The women had, for years, been labeled as incapable of being active, and military involvement required such strength (Matsumoto, 1984). The US mainly made an effort to illustrate strong women of the military front to allow the people to see the need to have women as assistants in the war. Ideally, the society and the men in the military would not accommodate the role of women in the military, and therefore it was essential to change this mindset to improve the position of women both in the society and in the economic setting of the 20 th century. After the campaigns, women found themselves receiving offers in jobs that were primarily delegated to men, and they took advantage of this economic freedom to raise their statuses in some of the countries after this period in time. Thereby, the research below indicates a succinct close study of literature regarding the role of women during the world war, especially in select Axis and Allied countries. 

Role of American women in the Second World War 

One of the significant inputs in world war II was that of American women. Previously, the US had maintained a relatively mala chauvinistic approach to the economic development of the society, leaving the women predisposed to being only subordinates to males in the places of work. However, World War II presented a unique chance in history to change the societal place of women as more men enlisted for active combat in the world war. Mainly, the US needed people to fill in assistant jobs such as nurses and journalists in the army, a chance that opened up better opportunities for women in the US. 

Contrary to popular expectations, American women had worked outside of the US for some time before 1940, only that their role was traditionally women like jobs of sewing and secretarial jobs locally and overseas (“American women and World War II.” n.d.). These jobs only paid much less compared to the male in other jobs, and when women took up the duties previously left for men, there was still a vast pay discrepancies for similar duties and responsibilities. Additionally, women were required to go back home and cease working once they were married or bore children. 

Luckily, Elanor Roosevelt, the American first lady to Franklin Roosevelt, fronted the idea of women empowerment through political influence and the Community Facilities Act of 1942, which she influenced eased the burden of caring for children as mothers worked. The main problems women faced as they supported the soldiers in combat for the US army were mainly because of the duality of duties, and thus the act improved their performance significantly. To assist the military, women found themselves working as pilots and engineers, helping to improve the much-needed human resources to plan and execute defense of American sovereignty. 

The involvement of the women in the Second World War from the American perspective was not without instances of prejudice. American Black men in the army were only allowed near the American Tanks of war in 1944; before then, racial segregation was apparent in the country. Similarly, the women faced an equal measure of prejudice, and therefore women of color were sidelined. However, there were plenty of opportunities because of the gaps that the upward mobility of women’s social status created in the country (Parenti & Wake, 2016). The improvement, though structured by racial biases, touched on the lives of many women, including those who did not get directly involved in active combat. However, over 35,000 women in the US joined the army as soldiers, nurses, pilots, and clerks, and many lost their lives in the ensuing war. The country decorated many of the women who showed great courage in a time of crossfire, and the countries significantly acknowledged their role. 

German Women in the Second World War 

The Nazi Germany's political and social background is an essential aspect in the understanding of the role German women played during the Second World War. As a dictator, Hitler, the leader of the Nazis during the war, declaratively directed the role and education of a woman in society. Notably, the dictator indicated that women had no significance in any other role apart from childbirth and childrearing related tasks. Essentially, the Marriage Encouragement law enacted by Hitler when he came to power meant that the leader planned to have many of the German women to remain at home and bear children. Further, the education system was customized to endure; the girls learned that their roles were being good mothers. 

However, like all belligerent countries, Germany faced the need to have all its resources amassed to fight the war. The world war II provided an opportunity for the women to join the military, but there was a social and political indifference about their competencies in any of the tasks that were delegated for males only. Nevertheless, Germany mobilized women to join the war front as nurses and assistants in the military. While Germany was quite reluctant to allow the employment of women in the warfare, the total war policy dictated that Germany hire the women available for combat and by the end of the war, an estimated 500,000 women had served in various Nazi auxiliaries as aids and more than a third of these women were in active military combat (“Wehrmachthelferinnen (Female Auxiliaries) of the German Wehrmacht (1939-1945)” n.d.). The role of women significantly improved from aids and assistants in nursing and other support roles to being at the front of guards to control airstrikes. Eventually, there were four significant phases of German women's involvement in the Second World War, all spanning from 1939 through to 1945. The first phase included the mobilization of women, young youth in from a girl’s scout movement by Hitler, and other women who volunteered as long as they were 21 years of age. The second phase saw the assimilation of women to clerical positions to send the men into combat. The third phase trained women in logistical issues of planning combat, and finally, the last phase was the final struggle that saw women become pilots and freed able men to take cover in places experiencing worse assault. 

British women in the Second World War 

British women made an impact on the world over for their overwhelming indulgence in active military duties during the Second World War. Approximately 80,000 women from Great Britain enrolled as foot soldiers with the same conditions as the men counterparts (Hanna, 2009). At first, the role of women was to fill in the gaps of the men who enlisted and were called into active battle; thereby, women remained running the home front and all other jobs that men initially occupied. However, by 1942, women had to be recruited in the military to protect the sovereignty of British sovereignty. The women were recruited to fill in some of the perceived male positions such as mechanics, engineers, and pilots, amongst other clerical and organizational work in the military. In total, over 640,000 women joined the military, first the young and single women and later, married, single and both elderly and young women had to join the army to prevent a devastating loss (Blessing, 2008). 

One of the best inspirational leaders in the world war amongst women in Great Britain was the then Princess Elizabeth, who enlisted as a mechanic. She was a source of inspiration for many other women in the country and essentially paved the way for better performance of women in Great Britain than any other country. Unlike other regions, the Great Britain strain in the recruitment of women, and therefore, there were no active campaigns to recruit women. However, other than the involvement in the military, the rest of the women volunteered in other social activities in the country, such as support for the soldiers as they worked through making refreshments. The active involvement affected most families because most of the men had already enlisted, and after women joined the army, close to 80% of all married women had enlisted as volunteers to join their husbands in the escalating war. 

One of the brilliant works by women in Great Britain was the formation of the Special Operations Executives made up of specially trained 60 women who were sent on operations dubbed setting Europe ablaze. 

The three countries elucidated through the analysis above indicate a similarity in all the three belligerent countries. The women involved in the Second World War was a necessary action, necessitated by the need for increased soldiers and human resources. While initially, the role of the women was only supportive, as evidenced in all the countries, later, these women had to become leaders and fight alongside men because the war escalated to unmanageable magnitudes. Women are therefore seen as a support system that held together with the social welfare of the people who remained home, especially children, while at the same time, they played a critical role in assisting in the military (MEN, 1993). After that, women had made a statement in the society for their practical involvement in something else that was beyond their scope. Many of the women in America and Great Britain, who were outstanding in the military were rewarded alive or posthumously. 

Annotated Bibliography 

Hanna, M. (2009). Women in Twentieth-Century Europe. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.  Journal of Social History ,  43 (2), 498–499. doi: 10.1353/jsh.0.0254 

The book is a primary source that explores the role of women in the Second World War through an in-depth analysis of the history of the Second World War, mainly highlighting the role of women. However, the book does not only look at the active involvement but also at the lives of women after the Second World War in Britain. Particularly, the book identifies about 2 million women whose husbands died during the war and their lives after that. However, the book substantiates the involvement of women in the historical event, offering critical factual information on the research on the role of women. The book celebrates the historical place of the woman in both assisting the community stick together and their involvement in actual military combat. 

Blessing, B. (2008). Women in Twentieth-Century Europe. By Ann Taylor Allen. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Pp. 208+ index. Cloth $84.50. ISBN 1403941920. Paper $28.95. ISBN 978-1-403-94193-0.  Central European History ,  41 (3), 529-531. 

The paper produces an analytical description of the involvement of German women during the Second World War. Primarily, the book is based on the foundation of Nazi Germany and how the background information of the country's social structure influences the role of women during the Second World War. It contains expository literature on the fine details about Nazi Germany and how the tides changed to allow women into active battle. From a historical perspective, the book is an essential piece of literature to understanding German women's involvement in the Second World War based on the social and geopolitical prevailing conditions. 

World War II 1939–1945. (2015).  World History of Design . doi: 10.5040/9781474246217.ch-018 

The book describes the history of world war II, a description that captures all the belligerent countries. Particularly, it gives a historical description of the entire war, thus being a resourceful book to analyze the factual information on the war. While the book does not provide brief details about the women in the world war, it gives the contextual understanding of what triggered all the countries to mobilize women to join the military. Ideally, the book provides a background to the necessary details of the war that then shapes the rest of the research. 

American women and World War II. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/rise-to-world-power/us-wwii/a/american-women-and-world-war-ii . 

The website, an academically oriented website, provides short, succinct notes on the Second World War. It is essential in giving out quick references to timelines and highlight significant parts of the war that one needs to understand. Additionally, the succinct notes explain the role of American women in the Second World War in a sequential manner starting from the onset of the war, the factors that influenced the war, and finally, the role of women from the American perspective. The narrowing down of data to fit the American women through a detailed historical analysis provides enough details to collect for the research. The website is a useful resource because of the sequential arrangement of details, and they are details with specific pointers to significant roles of the American women in the war. 

Wehrmachtshelferinnen (Female Auxiliaries) of the German Wehrmacht (1939-1945). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://hist259.web.unc.edu/wehrmachthelferinnen-female-auxiliaries-of-the-german-wehrmacht-1939-1945/ . 

The German culture, the geopolitical system, and the country’s leader, Hitler, were all a part of the outcome of the world war. Through the paper Wehrmachthelferinnen, written from a German native perspective, it is clear how Hitler moved from looking at women as only mothers and wives to the recruitment of women into the Nazi army, something that would not have been fathomed. However, the book entails the details of the Second World War and reasons why Hitler, albeit being a dictator and wishing to control the army, had to let go of his beliefs and personal misconceptions to allow women enlist. In fact, the paper looks at Hitler’s campaign that mobilized German women above the age of 21 to join the war. The paper provides a brief background to the German women’s involvement in the Second World War. 

Matsumoto, V. (1984). Japanese American women during World War II.  Frontiers ,  8 (1), 6-14. 

The role of the Japanese Women in the Second World War is not clearly illustrated in the history of the War. However, similarities appear amongst the women of Japan compared to the rest of the countries in the same position. This book follows the experience of several Japanese women such as Nisei, how she copes with the challenges of life during and after the war. Through such experiences, the book offers succinct information on the Role of Women in Japan during the Second World War and offers literature for comparative purposes. 

MEN, W. (1993). Women in Combat: The World War II Experience in the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and the Soviet Union.  The Journal of Military History ,  57 (2), 301-323. 

The book is a detailed resource that compares the role of women during world war two, especially those in America, Great Britain, Germany, and the Soviet Union. Particularly, this book acts as a guide to the research because the analysis looks at both sides of the war, the Axis countries and the Allied forces, indicating a balance in the comparison. The article offers detailed literature specifically on women in combat and analyzes how they influenced the outcomes thereof. 

Parenti, L. R., & Wake, M. H. (2016). Evolution of the Role of Women in the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.  Copeia ,  104 (2), 594-601. 

The research article is based on American history in the 20 th century and especially on the rights and freedom of women. Up to date, there are many issues regarding the opportunities offered to each gender, and women have been on the losing end. However, the paper details how World War II was a turning point in society about the lives of American women, opening up the entire economic environment to accommodate women. The paper is keen on the role of women during the world wars and especially the Second World War, thus a useful resource for the research.