The Effects of ww1 on Women's Expanded Role in Society

     During the American progressive era, and the worldwide industrial and imperial time period, women's roles in the formal sector began to expand. In this blog, the effects of ww1 demand for production of essential goods and the loss of manpower due to their allocation in military forces allowed for women to become a more potent unit in the production lines expanding their role in society outside of their domestic roles they had traditionally held for hundreds of years. This blog will also detail the different roles that women in different classes tended to carry out.

Women's role before ww1 and the progressive era:
     Before the progressive era where there was an industrial boom in the US, women had been housewives, only having a family presence in the domestic part of life. Their role in society was still limited due to a conservative era.
The change:
     As the progressive era arrived by full force in the US women began to take more duties from men. Not only in the US but in the world men would be unemployed for long periods of time. During their unemployment, they would do nothing. This is when women began to shed off their old duties for new ones. They began to help sustain their families by not only taking care of things at home but also finding opportunities in the formal sectors.

Then came the war:
     The progressive era had now made the US a large manufacturing economy that was recognized on the world stage. Although women had expanded their role outside of domestic duties they still were nowhere near as independent as the hopes and dreams from the Seneca falls convention had discussed so long ago. The war provided the spark to propel women into a more active role in society. It all began before the US entered the war. Women began to take factory jobs to help increase production for the high demand overseas. This increased, even more, when the US entered the war. So many men that had been working now left the spots vacated which were taken up by women. For the first time in American history, women had a formidable workforce outside of home. They worked from being salesclerks to factory jobs creating the increased production that the allies needed for the war effort. At the close of the war, women compensated for 20 percent of the manufacturing workforce. Women also had a role directly in the war. The red cross had a large workforce of women as medics etc... that directly impacted the war overseas.

Effects
     We understand that women had a bigger role in the formal sector due to ww1. But what other changes did it bring?
Progressive regulations:
     During war times, there aren't really any rules. For example, there was a lot of censorship in the press to promote the wartime which completely violates the 1st amendment. This also applies to regulations in the formal sector. The limitations set in place to protect women and children when working mostly went away. There was such a high demand for labor to produce war necessities that they had to pull more people from all ages. Because of this near the end of the war, there were questions about whether the regulations would come back.  Women formed organizations to pressure the government to not only reapply the regulations but to increase them as well. Some examples are. Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and the national general federation of women's clubs (GFWC).
Women's suffrage:
     With the new confidence of being more independent, women renewed their efforts to have women's suffrage. They rightfully felt that they had proved how important and competent they were during the wartime effort to deserve suffrage as many other countries had already begun to do so before the land of the free. They were able to pressure Woodrow Wilson to push Senate to pass the 19th amendment which would be female suffrage.

Did it stick?
    What happened after the war ended and the masses of soldiers returned from combat? Welp, women lost a lot of positions they had gained during wartime. However, the social impacts were massive. When the Harlem Renaissance emerged women carried on the air of confidence and independence that they had during the war when their husbands were away creating a new lifestyle for women. One with more independence and an ever-increasing role in society.



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