The years following 1945 marked the end of World War II
Most women were stay-at-home moms before the Second World War. They were prohibited from participating in other pursuits. Men were allowed to do the bulk of the work. While the women raised the kids, the men searched for work and engaged in other forms of economic activity to support and feed their families. A small number of women had jobs outside the house. Men had a poor attitude toward them, and they participated in low-class occupations. Their efforts were not well received or valued. During and after the World War II, the view men had regarding women changed. They were included in the workforce in many countries and those who were already working rose in their ranks. They were recruited into the military. This research paper discusses the changes in gender roles after World War II.
How the status of Women changed after 1945
The effort made by women in World War II contributed to the change in the attitude that men had concerning them and their role in the society (The United States Since 1945: A Documentary Reader, 2). In the modern world, the role of women has changed. They are no longer expected to stay at home and raise their children. In 1948, an Act that required women to be permanently recognized as part of the armed forces was passed in the United States. This promoted gender equity in the country. Betty Friedan started "The Feminine Mystique" which was meant to explain that the roles of women could be changed from what they were initially (Smith, 22). The development in scientific technology led to the introduction of the birth control pills and other family planning methods which enabled women to have a few children and spend the rest of their time working. Before the coming of the methods, women would give birth to many children and the whole of their time would be spent in raising them.
In the early 1950s, most employers barred married women from working in some professions
After some years, however, married women were allowed to work for some hours in a day and they got paid for that. Women worked as nurses, cleaners, mid-wives and took clerical jobs like secretarial jobs. Later on, they started doing jobs that were initially referred to as men's jobs. They worked in the banking sector, textile industries and electrical and electronic jobs. The percentage of women in the labor force has risen significantly and it continues to do so.
Change in Women Status after 1945 using a case study of two countries
In the United States of America, most factories were converted into war production centers during the world war. Because most men were out fighting, women had to be enrolled to work in the industries to cover up the positions left by the men. During the time that the women worked, America noted very high production rates. In fact, the rates were higher than they had ever been before. This caused a change in the way they were regarded. By 1945, a third of the workforce in the United States comprised of women.
Before 1945, the Japanese society was based on Buddhism, Confucianism and the Samurai culture. The three institutions highly discriminated against women and required them to be submissive to men. This changed after 1945 because women had to be engaged in industries during the World War to take up the jobs that were initially done by Japanese men who went to war. They started working in arms factories, steel mills and coal mines. After the war, they started working in other careers like teaching and nursing. Since then, their participation in the workforce has continued increasing till now.
Relevance of various trends to the change in women status after 1945
The expansion of the economy of most countries after World War II led to the development of technology and the rise of consumers (Laughlin and Jacqueline, 54). Technology led to the development of equipment like gas and electric cookers, washing machines among others which changed the lifestyle of women. They could now engage in productive work since the jobs that they were supposed to do at their homes were made easier and took less time. This changed their status because they could do professional work.
Politically, laws that fought against gender inequality and discrimination were implemented. This impacted the status that women were given and gave them opportunities to improve it. Women were protected in the employment sector and were given equal chances as men in various careers. Women got appointed and elected to political posts and they continued pushing for equal treatment of women in the society. Religious Movements that were started after 1945 preached on the need to treat every person equally. In this light, they taught that both men and women should be treated equally and where they were taken seriously, the view that men had on women changed and their status improved.
Conclusion
To summarize the topic on how the status of women changed after 1945, the Second World War provided opportunities for them to change their status. They were allowed to engage in other activities apart from staying at their homes and raising children. The change has not been fully implemented. This is because in most regions, people have not fully accepted that women can fully perform all the roles. Some of the works are still left for the men. Careers like mechanics and engineering are widely occupied by men, with a few slots for the women. In the politics of most countries, women are given just a few posts and the rest are for men. However, the current status of women is an improvement from the way it was before the Second World War. It continues to improve as people continue appreciating their work and women activist groups continue fighting for their rights.
Bibliography
Laughlin, Kathleen A., and Jacqueline L. Castledine. Breaking the wave: women, their organizations, and feminism, 1945-1985. New York: Routledge, 2011. Print.
Smith, Bonnie G. Global feminisms since 1945. London: Routledge, 2006. Print.
The United States Since 1945: A Documentary Reader. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Print.
