World War II: The Role Of Women

At all times and in all countries, women are perceived as peace makers, while men are those who start wars or any conflicts. However, when the conflict occurs and men have to fight for their country or beliefs, women do not stand aside. Women’s role and contribution during World War II was neglected and marginalized by the society, government and historians for a long time. Although, most of their contribution still remains hidden or even forgotten, this paper will demonstrate how women could be no less courageous and stronger in spirit than any man during difficult periods such as war. In the various countries, such as United States, Germany, Soviet Union and Australia, women challenged the traditional gender role distribution and refused to be called victims. They stepped in to serve for their country: worked as nurses and doctors, joined the male …show more content…
365). World War II forced women to be adapted to the harsh conditions of living by taking strenuous labor in order to let their men go to the battle. Particularly, Latvian women described their arduous work on farms where they had to be responsible for repairing railroad trucks or cutting wood in the forest (Eglitis & Zelče, 2013, p. 993). These women emphasized the poor conditions under which they had to work: lack of food, warm clothing and inappropriate health care. In the case of Australian women during the War time, those who served in the AWAS, Australian Women’s Army Service, were exposed to the “twelve-hour shifts of physically demanding work” (as cited in Dinan, 2016, p. 41). As for the United States, it was affirmed that the War necessitated women to get engaged in previously considered male dominant fields (Scrivener, 1999, p. 365). As an illustration, women became those who repaired vehicles, drove trucks and operated