- Published: January 5, 2022
- Updated: January 5, 2022
- University / College: Boston College
- Level: College Admission
- Language: English
- Downloads: 37
Philosophy Philosophy Chapter 17: World War II: “ She’s making History, Working for Victory” In the era of World War II, American women were unprotected from the effects of the war. Married women formed part of the propaganda barrage, and were required to volunteer for defense jobs and other tasks, while at the same time nurture their families. Despite this, women such as Mrs. Chris Laukhug and Helen Dortch Longstreet became immensely successful (Collins, 2003). This paper will give a factual summary of the most salient points of chapter 17 of Collins’book in relation to World War II.
Helen Dortch Longstreet assured her interviewers that she was going to assist with the making of a plane to bomb Hitler (Collins, 2003). There were rumors that American women were sexually promiscuous and that the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) were said to have been recruited to aid with the morale of the troops. Most women in this era had limited enthusiasm of armed combat. Even though men were fighting hard to protect the women back at home, the troops and servicemen still felt uncomfortable having women in the military. However, the women were restricted to noncombatant duty. Moreover, when something risky or difficult was to be done, the theory that women should not be asked to do risky jobs was ignored (Collins, 2003). This led to the creation of the Women’s Air force Service Pilots (WASP) that saw women free men who were in service overseas. According to Collins (2003), they used experimental jets, B-29 Super fortress, and planes manufactured by the military since men felt they should not risk their lives in such dangerous assignments.
In conclusion, by the time the war ended, women formed more than a third of the national workforce. There was a celebration after the war ended. However, three million women left the workforce in 1946, and a whole new world opened up. As stated by Collins (2003), the wartime propaganda made the Americans have knowledge about improving their lifestyles and the old pattern in which women worked was broken.
Reference
Collins’, G. (2003). America’s women: Four hundred years of dolls, drudges, helpmates, and heroines. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.
