How_Did_Wwi_Change_the_Status_of_Women

The change in the status of women refers to the growth of women’s place and role in society. In this case, it connects to women in Britain, France, Russia, the United States, Austria-Hungary, Germany, Italy, and Japan. The wars effect on this demonstrates a key factor in women’s history- looking at how historical events have impacted the role of women. In July 1914, after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in June, nations began mobilizing for the Great War. In the course of mobilization, men were sent from all involved nations to train for battle. This giant movement of men left factories empty, at which point women’s’ roles in society changed greatly, as they became working women, the people that would attempt to hold their country’s industry and economy stable throughout the war. Many women and girls were given an opportunity at higher education, however these opportunities were still not presented to most women in poverty. All kinds of women, regardless of status, however, took on jobs in industry, driving, agriculture, and medicine. This allowed some lower class women to rise above the status of their parents and become workingwomen. Organizations such as the Army and Navy Nurse Corps, which was set up in the U.S in 1901, allowed the women to join the armed forces to serve as nurses. Several of those who became nurses were wounded and killed, especially those who served overseas, as they were in the thick of war whilst treating these men soldiers. A few women, specifically in Russia, signed up for the air force and were accepted as legitimate pilots. However, there were also many women that signed up for the army, air force, and navy, that were pushed to the position of nurse or driver. Many women were also sent to the army bases to prepare food, nurse, and entertain the men. Women were also encouraged to reproduce in a state of mass killings, so as to keep the population from declining too drastically. At this point, women became important; were put on postcards and postcards to send to the men and provide inspiration and reason for the men to fight and return home. Some feminist women used their importance stance at this time to start new committees and organizations to protest and rally for women’s rights. However, after the men returned home from war, women were expected to return to the kitchen and be housewives. Specifically in Russia, the 1917 revolution lead to the emancipation of women, which allowed them rights, equality, and independence. Through the amount of new opportunities given to women throughout the duration of the Great War, and through many women’s rights movements, women were given the somewhat equal status they have today. However, at the time of the Great War, this status was concentrated mainly in Eastern Europe, as not even suffrage was available in France until 1944, and the United States until 1920. That is not to say that women in other nations were still completely restricted, as by the time of WWII almost all nations involved had been through movements for the equality of women, and/or had granted suffrage for women- a large step in a direction for equality. The change in the status of women allowed for more participation in WWII, as although women still simply filled in for the men, in the US alone over 200,000 women actually became involved in the military during WWII. The ‘Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps”, which allowed and encouraged women to join the military was set up in the United States in 1942, soon after the bombing of Peal Harbour.