Introduction
World War II, abbreviated as WWII, is known by various names like the Second World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars. It was a global war although its arena was primarily in Europe. This War involved not only the major European powers but also eventually involved most of the major Nations around the world, the dominant forces being Russia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and United States. Technological Warfare was the primary characteristic of the strategy of this war, while the basic characteristic was the massive loss of life but most of all it changed the perspective of women in social and professional life.
Discussion
Of those who joined the army, many lost their lives and an even greater number were wounded. Work force shortage was a major problem faced by most countries. This was the time when the print media London Times, the Manchester Guardian, Time, Newsweek, the New York Times, the New York Herald or Washington Post mostly talked about social issues and performed hate campaign against Nazi Germany but never was aware of the debate. However, the problem remained and to control the problem the logical solution was to employ women in the positions left vacant by the men. The decisive role that the women performed during the course of the World War II had a significant impact in their later life styles in terms of their social status, professional disposition etc. Illustratively, while, a very large number of women were deployed in the front, being enlisted for services in the Navy in the US, in factories, offices and hangars for building aircraft, a large number of them adopted the nursing and other voluntary works at the back end, keeping the “home fires burning”. This diverse involvement of women considerably redeemed their image of professionalism and versatility and expanded their possible role in society, with several of them later finding employment in the Red Cross and several European countries, extending the right of franchise to women. Following the War, and during war too, they were ready to sustain the economy in the absence of the men folks. In a way, they provided a buffer of the work force and the media was more concerned about their rights than the actual political developments. (Massie, 221)
Spigel’s text, Make Room for T.V.: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America, is the ideal text that defined this era. This text is a unification of interpretations about the era of the Second World War and the author delivers the fundamentals that affected the nations and the shape of the modernization and empowerment of women. In this text, it is clear that there were mass discontent among the civilians and they tried to take every opportunity to show their distrust in the authorities no matter how much the state tried to tone down the social and intellectual disgruntlement. The text indicates that this was the vintage point that set the basics of modernism that would ultimately come to age at the end of the war. In fact, market induced economy became so fundamental during this period that the women population, who were otherwise neglected from the mainstream economy, was targeted as potential consumers by the corporate and “advertising trade journals throughout the 1960s assisted these corporation by featuring numerous ‘how to’ articles concerning selling to African Americans.” (Spigel, 318) Thus, the media was instrumental in economic empowerment of the women population.
Another part of woman power was the right to opt for sexual behavior. During this decade many Americans were tying the knot at an average lower age than before the dominant cultural issue that was being encouraged by both culture and the media was to get married but despite all this, the employment rates for women increased considerably. There was an upsurge of girls dropping out of school due to early pregnancy and this was shunned by the society and single pregnant women were considered as outcasts in the community thus the need to control irresponsible sex arose eventually increasing the use of birth control methods as well as contraceptives. Not only did women get married at an early age of 18 they also opted to start families immediately and did not only start the families but they started big families, this led to the increase in the size of families. The families with three children doubled while those with four children quadrupled and by the late 1950s. Thus, the true essence of woman liberation was showing and it all started with the economic and social liberty enjoyed during the WWII.
Conclusion
The Second World War was in a period of history that was a time when the world was going through a difficult phase during the horrors of the war. It could be mentioned in the initial stages that it was degeneration time. Imperialism had taken its tolls on the world, which was grilling on the last fires of the WWII. The losses were too heavy, and the shocks, almost unbearable. People just lived through a test of the extent-organized cruelty and purposeful ruthlessness could reach. As far as the future was concerned, the initial tremors of what would lead to a massive cross across the globe were being felt. In this context, it would be relevant to mention that the generation was not finding their existence worthwhile or in other words, they wanted more out of their life for they hardly knew what to believe. Thus, with the meltdown of old order it was evident that the perspective of woman’s position was to be changed forever and that happened exactly after the completion of the Second World War. As a result it was obvious that the act that during WWII many women had jobs and were gaining independence and the ’50s were a backlash against that with all of the ‘stay home and be a mother and wife’ rhetoric along with having to give up jobs for returning soldiers
Works Cited
Massie, Robert. Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea. London: Ballantine Books, 2004.
Spigel, Lynn. Make Room for T.V.: Television and the Family Ideal in Postwar America. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1992.