Postwar Effects on Women :: American America History

Postwar Effects on Wo manpowerThe feminine mystique that American goal promotes is entirely dependent upon its ideas, beliefs, and needs of the time. American culture has always tended to put to charm women into doing what the day and age required. After men went to war there was a gap in the work force that needed to be filled. During population War II women were the most available to join the work force. ascribable to the discouragement to raise families during the Great Depression and the fact that most men of age had entered the war, many an(prenominal) women were left without families to look after and men to include to take care of them. Most women toiled at unskilled jobs most were young, single, and without children (307). This drop of family and funds left women with no other place to go withal the factories. Womens need for work was nursed along by the media as come up as the public.A rapidly expanding war economy absorbed most of the reserve labor force, (307) ye t it still was not enough, the economy demanded a larger work force. This demand worked in cooperation with the availability of the women of the time. Commando Mary and Rosie the Riveter became symbols of women who heeded their countrys call (307). in that respect were many enticements luring women to join the work force. These enticements included higher war wages, more than available time and opportunity to work, and wartime restrictions on leisure activities.Despite the ecumenic expectation that women would return to their home after the war, female laborers did not simply drop their wrenches and pick up frying pans (310). After the war many women continued to work outside the home primarily to help financial support their families. After the war 28% of the labor force was female compared to the 24% prior to the war. When the war was over nearly one million women were lay off and another 2.25 million voluntarily left. These female losses in the work force were offset by the gain of 2.75 million women into the work force. When women who had been laid off managed to return to work, they often lost their seniority and had to study reduced pay in lower job categories (310). Due to the trying segregation by gender, the postwar economic life for women was appalling.Postwar American life became organized around marriage and family. As men came guts from the war they merged with the peacetime economy, taking jobs away from women and sending them back to the home.