The role of women in World War II

Before World War II:

Although in some countries laws were enacted that benefited women, such as the case of
England that gave them the right to vote, in most they were seen as housewives, mothers and
household administrators. For the Germans, the Aryan woman had to be a devoted lover of
her husband, an exemplary mother as long as she was fit, and a fervent National Socialist.

During the World War II:

During the first week alone, more than 50,000 applications were received from women who
wanted to fight on the front lines. It also allowed the incorporation of women into the Armed
Forces. With men fighting in Europe and Asia, it was women who took factory jobs, raised
money for the country's defense fund, and donated blood. As well as nurses, they worked in
communications and assembling war machines. In different periods, from 600 thousand to a
million women fought at the front, 80 thousand of them were Soviet officers. Throughout the
war they established and maintained communication, and participated in the guerrilla
movement. Many books, essays, magazines, and newspaper articles have been written about
his combat exploits and his work. Some 3,500 women worked as guards in Nazi
concentration camps, all starting in Ravensbrück. Many later ended up working in
extermination camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau or Bergen-Belsen.

After the World War II:

With the war, many women acquired new roles and trades that, unfortunately, had an
expiration date. Previously performed by men, they temporarily replaced them in factories,
laboratories, companies, farms, in transport management and even in the police institution of
the cities. This was an experience in which poor pay and the uncertainty of losing a job with
the return of men to their jobs was part of the transformation and changes that women
experienced during the war. Sewing and the art of embroidery, which initially invited women
to a private space in which stories were shared and dresses, folders, handkerchiefs and
blankets were made, became a salaried job due to the growth of the textile industry due to the
increased production of uniforms. By mid-1915, the minimum wage for women working in
this industry was implemented in France. In 1917, the French government decreed that
payment should be made by the finished piece, for both men and women, and at the end of
the war, the salary did not match theirs. Typing was another of the trades that introduced
women to office jobs, and caused them to drop out of domestic service. Over time, the
writing of letters, trades and lists created a new role for women in society: that of secretary.
In France, Great Britain and Germany, more than a million women were hired for jobs that
were not exactly for their ability: workers in arms factories, which generated, in some unions,
some concern not only because of the poor pay that they received, but for the dedication,
thoroughness and patience with which they carried out their work, which in the end, was
better than that of men. The British workers who worked in the arsenals located east of
London were affectionately called "the canaries", due to the manipulation of trinitrotoluene
(TNT) that produced a kind of jaundice in their hands, hair and face, giving them a color.
Over time, women set the pace. Some as police officers, unlike those who continued with
their domestic roles to preserve order and the rights that men fought for on the battlefields,
helped maintain discipline and behavior in factories and shelters. Through the streets, parks
and surroundings of the cities, they were seen patrolling. Others were bus drivers, porters,
cleaners, and car mechanics, as well as ambulance drivers on the battlefields.

Examples of Women Who Helped in World War II:

● Cheng Benhua: the woman who greeted death with a smile.
● Noor Inayat Khan: The Spy Princess.
● Lyudmila Pavlichenko: Lady Death.
● Nancy Wake: the White Mouse.
● Jane Vialle: reporter, spy and politician.
● Hedy Lamarr: the Hollywood star with the brain of an inventor
● Mya Mi: with sword and poison
● Rosie The Riveter : Riveter in World War II

Members:
- Jimena Sanchez Irigoyen
- Joaquin Olivares Vizarreta
- María José Portillo Torres
- Leonel Vacas Alejo

We want to communicate to people about the role of women in the second world war, they
were not considered important before the second world war.
Becoming a fundamental part of the attack and defense in the United States, among other
countries.

The support materials that we will use for our project are the following:
● Paper with information on the role of women.
 ● Photo album containing outstanding women in the second world war; During the
Second World War women were sent to do jobs that at that time were only suitable for
men.

Goals:
● Identify the role of women before, during and after the Second World War.
● Identify the achievements made by each outstanding woman in World War II.