The Contribution Made By Women To World War One
World War 1 was a pivotal time for women. This is because it gave women an opportunity to prove themselves in a male-dominated society, doing more than cleaning the house and tending to the children.
With many men going to war, there was a large gap in employment and, in response; women came in to replace the men.
Nurses
Both of these nursing organizations played a critical role in WW1 nursing.
The VADs were unpaid volunteers (and therefore usually from a higher social class where money was not an issue) who were given basic medical training. These women, while they could not typically give injections, could comfort and provide basic medical treatment to wounded soldiers.
The role of a FANY nurse was less glamorous. Their jobs included scrubbing and disinfecting rooms in which wounded soldiers were to be treated, disposing of bodies, organizing baths for front line soldiers, driving (sometimes makeshift) ambulances, and running soup kitchens for the soldiers.
* Nurses who served could be found behind the front lines of battle, in Army hospitals, on troop trains and transport ships, and anywhere else they were needed.
* Several nurses were awarded Distinguished honours by the military for their services.
* Many nurses were wounded in WW1 and some died and were buried overseas.
On the Homefront
As World War 1 progressed more and more men were going over seas, and with this a lack of employees in factories. It quickly became apparent that women were needed to fill in this loss.
The Essay on Australia And War Wars World Soldiers
Name: Frank Trimboli Teacher: Ms Meyers Date: 23/3/98 Should Australia involve itself in wars which do not directly affect its security? Australia has involved itself in four wars where it has suffered substantial life loss and casualty. Those wars included World War 1, World War 2, the Korean War and Vietnam. Did Australia have to involve itself in these wars? Did the lives of these young ...
The women mostly worked in ammunition factories dealing with explosive chemicals. This was a very dangerous and unhealthy job, and the women worked in poor conditions. One of the chemicals that the women worked with was sulphur. Being that there was no protection against this chemical, the women’s skin started to consist of a yellow tinge it also damaged their lungs. In addition women worked long hours filling bombshells with explosives and with this, accidental explosions were always at risk. Through all this women’s wages were half of what the men were being paid.
The women not only worked with ammunitions but also worked as power machine operators. In an effort to produce more skillful women into the working industries, schools had been set up to train women in upholstering, trimming, and other work calling for skilled operatives.
One factory manager was quoted as saying, “Women were seen as quick learners and that in some departments they are more efficient than men, although those departments have been employing men exclusively for years.”
Women also had to take over the farm work. An organization was formed called the Women’s Land Army. Theses women were paid 18 shillings a week and had to bring in the harvest and keep the farms going.
By 1914 nearly 5.09 million out of the 23.8 million women in Britain were working. Thousands worked in offices and large hangars used to build aircraft. Women were also involved in knitting socks for the soldiers on the front, as well as other voluntary work, but as a matter of survival women had to work for paid employment for the sake of their families. Many women worked as volunteers serving at the Red Cross, encouraged the sale of war bonds or planted “victory gardens”.
Not only did women have to keep “the home fires burning” but also they took on voluntary and paid employment that was diverse in scope and showed that women were highly capable in diverse fields of endeavor. There is little doubt this expanded the view of the role of women in society and changed the outlook of what women could do and their place in the workforce. Although women were still paid less than men in the workforce, women’s equality were starting to arise as women were now getting paid two-thirds of the typical pay for men. However, the extent of this change is open to historical debate. In part because of female participation in the war effort Canada, the USA, Great Britain, and a number of European countries extended suffrage to women in the years after the First World War.
The Homework on Should Women Work Outside Home
Recently, many women are engaged in various kinds of job, and they have been advancing in society. Moreover, it is quite ubiquitous among typical families that a mother works outside the home. In the article Should a Woman Work Outside the Home?, the author Mohammed Akade Osman Sudan argues that a womans rightful place in society is in the home. I disagree with the authors view that women should ...
By Al Hurd 10CJM
