The Role of Women Before World War II
Women in the United States, especially lower and middle class, have always had jobs. However, before the US entered into World War II their variety of work was limited. Most working women were servants or cooks for the upper class. Others were teachers, nurses, in offices, banks, shops, factories, etc. The role of an upper class woman was to be a housewife and care for their children.
In the Great Depression, the cultural division of labor by sex reached its peak when many felt that the women were taking the jobs of the unemployed men.
In the Great Depression, the cultural division of labor by sex reached its peak when many felt that the women were taking the jobs of the unemployed men.
When did this change?
Pearl Harbor: the Japanese bombing American ships at the Hawaii military naval base.
The turning point for this was at the time of Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1921 the Japanese attacked a naval base in Hawaii. Bombing our ships in a surprise attack lead to the Second World War. As many men were deployed, gaping holes were formed in the industrial forces leaving America suffering.