See how women were portrayed during World War II
Patriotic posters calling for women’s help during World War II have led thousands of women to volunteer for the military or choose to work in positions traditionally held by men.
How were women portrayed during World War II?
As conscientious workers, committed to the cause and their country. American posters from the 1940s called on American women to take part in the war or to take positions that would help their husbands return faster from the battlefield. How? By supporting the economy.
“For the good of your country today – for the good of yourself tomorrow”
This was one of the popular posters for the recruitment of servicemen from the US Armed Forces from the mid-1940s. It depicted four women in various uniforms – Marines, women admitted to voluntary service in emergencies (WAVES), women from the Army Corps (WAC) and women from the Coast Guard (SPARS)).
Are you a girl with a star-studded heart?
A 1940 Women’s Army Corps (WAC) recruitment poster depicting a woman in uniform against the backdrop of the American flag.
Uniforms
On wartime posters, we can often see women in various uniforms. They are portrayed as soldiers as good as men. They had their own body and often the look on the posters was cheerful and smiling – a sign that they are happy with the fact that their position in society can be equal to that of men. But was that so?
The recruitment of women for various types of military service was largely voluntary. That’s why the posters showed them as cheerful and calm ladies.
The wife
The other role of women that we can find in this type of World War II testimony is that of supportive and loving wives who expect or rejoice in the arrival of their husbands.
The idea of these posters is also to recruit staff for various volunteer organizations – for the emergency service, for the infantry.
The worker
Over time and as the war progressed, labor in various production facilities declined, so companies began to need women for hard physical labor.
Then posters of women with drills and in various workshops appeared, urging them to rethink their place in society as a whole.
Certainly, there were great expectations of women during the Second World War, which they managed to meet to a large extent, and the result of this can be observed in today’s modern society.
Source: StarsInsider
Photo: Poster for the recruitment of servicemen from the US Armed Forces from the mid-1940s
