Womens Roles During Times of War Essay - 1307 Words

Womens Roles During Times of War Despite the prevalence of war goddesses in most traditions from China to Greece to Ireland, women have been separated from the front lines of war for centuries. Western tradition claims that women are not made for war, but for household work: sewing, cleaning, cooking, and looking after children. Society told women to carry brooms in lieu of swords; to collect firewood instead of ammunition, and to keep house rather than protect a nation. Yet, for centuries, women have fought their peoples wars, even if they never lifted a sword or fired a rifle. We rarely hear of these women, though, because they were not on the front line. The AAS Online Exhibitions claims, The term war hero usually refers to†¦show more content†¦Women boycotted other goods and did their best to support their soldiers2. Some women were forced to host British soldiers, known as Red Coats, in their homes3, but they forbore and awaited the end of the war and the return of their husbands and sons as free, independent men. Other Revolutionary War women chose to leave the comforts of their homes behind and join the men at war. It was rare for a woman to take up arms and fight as a soldier, but they did as best they could, given their strict social roles. A prime example of this is Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, better known as Molly Pitcher. She followed her soldier husband as he fought. Molly Pitcher earned her title at the Battle of Monmouth when she brought water to the fallen soldiers on the field4. Women were so taken with following the soldiers camp that the Women of the American Revolution calls the Camp-Followers one of Washingtons head-aches5. As was traditional during times of war, women took over their husbands roles during the American Revolution. Women learned to manage businesses, schools6, and farms. They boarded enemy soldiers, taught schools, conducted letter writing campaigns7, and enacted political activity. Yet, all of this came to a halt when the Americans won the war and the British retreated. The rights these brave women hadShow MoreRelated Womens Roles During Times of War and Virginia Woolfs Three Guineas2915 Words   |  12 PagesWomens Roles During Times of War and Virginia Woolfs Three Guineas With the prevalence of war goddesses in most traditions from China to Greece to Ireland, women have been separated from the front lines of war for centuries. The goddesses, the divine representations of women in the ideal, are torn between dual roles: that of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom and just war, and that of Vesta, goddess of hearth and home. These two roles, warrior and mother, are not necessarily as very differentRead MoreWomen’s Role in Wwi: Before and After1357 Words   |  6 PagesWorld War I made a colossal impact on all aspects of human life and almost everyone in Europe was affected by this impact to different degrees as a consequence. One group in particular, most often illustrated as a real turning point, largely in enfranchisement and employment, were women. The outbreak of WWI saw a number of unexpected changes take place within the common social strata. These changes were prompted by the fact that a new wave of social-thinking was taking shape and eventually affectedRead MoreWomen During The Centuries Of Women1534 Words   |  7 PagesWomen Throughout the Centuries Women have held essential roles in society for centuries. In the beginning of most civilizations and colonies in the U.S., women were seen as inferiors to men, but over time women slowly gained more rights and became of more importance to society. Women started out as being viewed as subordinate beings who were to be useful by tending to families, the household, and gather and prepare food. Soon, with wars and other conflicts, women took on tasks thought to be â€Å"men’sRead MoreWomen and their Involvement in World War II Essay787 Words   |  4 PagesInvolvement in World War II Women had a huge role in the World War II that so many do not recognize. Women were involved in many different jobs that allowed them to step out of the ordinary norm as the â€Å"typical housewife†, and dive into fierce hardworking jobs that until then only a man could do. Women jumped into the factories and many different roles that contributed to World War II, because the need for more American workers was crucial. A few roles of women prior to the World War I consisted ofRead MoreWomens Roles Prior to World War I1404 Words   |  6 PagesWomens role before World War 1 Prior to the First World War, the jobs men and women held were based primarily on societal constructions of gender: men typically had free choice of their profession and the direction they went hinged largely on their social standing whereas women in the workforce were segregated to work in very specific fields. These fields were largely based on the roles women traditionally held in the home including: housework and textiles. In Great Britain , for example, the majorityRead MoreWorld War I Was A New Kind Of War1290 Words   |  6 PagesWorld War I was a new kind of war. Millions of men were recruited, and millions were killed, wounded, and missing. This changed the lives and roles of each gender, for good and bad. World War I changed the expectations and roles of men at home and on the battlefield. For women, professions, at home and on the frontlines, rights, social behavior, and cultural behavior changed permanently. World War I pressured men into viewing enlistment as a patriotic/nationalistic and masculine right of passageRead MoreEssay on Changing Womens Roles1570 Words   |  7 PagesWomen started to challenge their domestic roles over time by using the war, westward expansion and abolitionist movements and by ultimately taking advantage of the liberties they were given. Because they were proven to be sufficiently skillful in activites during the Revolution and Civil War they were able to expand their roles after the war both socially and also in education. From the time the abolition and temperance movements started in the early 1830s, women, both white and black, startedRead MoreWomen s Role During Wwii1345 Words   |  6 PagesWomen’s Role During WWII 1939-1945 Men were leaving, people were fighting, and many were dying. World War II was one of the hardest times, and during that difficult time, women stepped up their roles and had a huge impact during the war. The women during World II in the United States and in Europe impacted the war by taking different jobs and becoming employed in the workforce, working in the home with normal household responsibilities while supporting the men oversees, and entering into the militaryRead MoreWomen During World War II1731 Words   |  7 PagesThe beginning of World War II saw Australians see war on their shores for the first time, as well as having to travelling overseas to fight another war. It required young men to leave their country to fight, this affected the women who were left behind. World War II started in 1939 and ended in 1945. World War II was a large world conflict. During this world conflict Australia was under the threat of attack for the first time. When the war started there was a lac k of man power on the home front whichRead MoreHow the Two World Wars Altered the Independence of Women1095 Words   |  4 PagesBefore America was involved in the well-known wars of our time, many women were living their lives as oppressed housewives. With the changes that occurred throughout the two world wars, women had the chance to break out of their ordinary lifestyles and prove themselves worthy of something more than the housewife stereotype. Each world war brought on a different opportunity for the women of that time period. Women’s increasing roles during the two world wars were made apparent through their lifestyles