When the war started and factories were changed to boost war production, there needed to be many workers to build ships and supplies efficiently and quickly. Because the draft took away many men for the war, more than 6 million of the almost 18 million workers in war industries were women. The factories were skeptical at first, thinking that women would only slow them down for lack of stamina. However, the hired women workers soon proved their fears unfounded by determinedly showing how well they could work - as well as men. After that, industries hired more and more women, seeing how good they could work and seeing how women were paid only 60% of what men were paid for the same work.
Non-working women contributed too, with rationing and participating in nationwide drives. Housewives and their children would find scrap iron, tin cans, rags, cooking fat, etc. in their houses and donate them to the drives that that War Production Board (WPB) organized to collect things to recycle for war production. Besides nationwide drives, housewives contributed to the war effort by rationing goods like meat, shoes, sugar, coffee, and gasoline for cars. The Office of Price Administration (OPA) handed out little coupon books that people would use to buy the scarce goods. Since housewives ran the domestic scene, they dealt with the rationing.
by Nicky
4 comments:
I like this post! You clearly showed how the woman were no longer portrayed as weak, and that they were worth something. You explained all the ways that woman contributed which is great! good job!(:
This is an example of a great and thorough posting.... good job. You are not lacking detail, and you can tell you are passionate about your subject. Perhaps you could add a few photos. Other than that, great job!
Great way of stating your information. And i like the topic that you blogged on women in war time.
This was a really good post! I really liked the background you gave and all the things working and unemployed women did to help during the war.
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