Category: Woman

To what extent did America’s Participation in WWII Affect the Role of Women in Society?

The following investigation examines the question: To what extent did America’s participation in WWII affect the role of women in society? The investigation focuses on the effects of US involvement in the war at both the homefront and waterfront regarding the changing position of women in society.

The public’s attitudes about the war and about women can be observed in publications of the time aimed toward American citizens. One such primary source is cited in the investigation: a World War Two propaganda poster entitled “She’s a WOW Woman Ordnance Worker Keep ’em shooting!”. The purpose of the poster was to promote the recruitment of women for WAAC to allow free men from their jobs so they could join the troops. The image was illustrated by Adolph Treidler and sponsored by the United States Army Ordnance Department. Being that it was created and published in Washington, D.C. by the U.S. Government Printing Office, the poster reflects an attitude that the government was advertising to the public, but it does not necessarily tell historians that the public accepted the idea.

The second source to be evaluated is the excerpt of a documentary called “Impact of World War II on the U.S. Economy and Workforce”. It originates from ‘Iowa’s WWII Stories,’ Iowa Public Television, which was directed by David J. Miller and published in 2006. The origin of this source may strengthen it because the publication date is more recent, meaning there could be more new interpretations and information. It was intended for educational use, to inform and explain the events of history to the public. A possible limitation of this source is its relevance to the topic. It does discuss the impact of World War II on women in the workforce, but only briefly. This does not negate the value of the information provided, but it is clearly not the main idea in the documentary.

World War Two is known as the largest and deadliest war in history. United States’ participation in the war persuaded its outcome, but the war also had significant impacts on the nation; Among the most momentous of these are changes in the role and status of women. Through World War II, women were given new opportunities to take part in the workforce and war effort at the home front as well as at the war front. Still, both during and after the war, progression for women was limited.

At the Home Front

World War Two ultimately elevated the status of American women in their own country by proving their capability and dedication by including them in the workforce. When the United States mobilized in December of 1941, women filled in the positions of the men that went off to war. Married women in particular were drawn into the wartime economy. “The 1940s were a turning point in married women’s labor-force participation, leading many to credit World War II with spurring economic and social change.” “A husband’s absence often meant that his wife had less to do in the home and that the family’s labor income dropped considerably; for others, patriotic duty was reason enough to join the war effort”. This “increased labor force participation by women was an important contributor to the growth in employment: the female participation rate grew from 28 percent in 1940 to almost 37 percent in 1944, an increase of about 5 million workers (Rupp 1978)”.

Women also joined the workforce because the wartime economy called for the mass production of weapons and supplies. “From 1939 to 1943… production for the armed forces accounted for fifty-nine percent of all manufacturing” Women worked in factories and warehouses “producing munitions, building ships, airplanes, in the auxiliary services as air-raid wardens”

“The war may also have eroded various policies that had constrained the employment of married women. ‘Marriage bars’-the stated policies of firms, school districts, governments, and other organizations not to hire married women and to fire single women upon marriage-were instituted before the 1930s but were greatly expanded during the Depression (see Goldin, 1990 Ch. 6). The bars vanished sometime after the early 1940s and by the 1950s were rarely encountered.”

The War Effort

Women’s participation in the workforce affected the labor supply and wages, but it also affected the types of jobs women were then known to be capable of and were allowed to do. The expansion of possibilities for women is largely due to the “all hands on deck” theme of the American war effort at the time. “Before World War II, women had generally been discouraged from working outside the home. Now they were being encouraged to take over jobs that had been traditionally considered ‘men’s work.’

Fear and patriotism was the driving force of the American war effort. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the country was gripped with panic which translated into a willingness of most Americans to make sacrifices for victory. Citizens, businesses, and the government all contributed to the effort in one way or another. People were given ration cards to reserve goods and materials needed by the military. “Rationed items included foodstuffs as well as items made from materials used in the manufacture of military supplies, equipment, and arms.” Civilians also contributed to the war effort with the purchase of U S Government Defense Savings Bonds or “War Bonds”

For many women, acceptance of the need to sacrifice in order to achieve victory came in the form of taking on jobs traditionally done by men. Traditional standards for women were somewhat put on hold by the war effort which called for women to “Do the job HE left behind” as one poster puts it. Other propaganda posters like this one are reflective of the general acceptance and encouragement of the public and government of women taking the responsibilities of their husbands and the troops.

With this encouragement and patriotism, “Women in uniform took office and clerical jobs in the armed forces in order to free men to fight. They also drove trucks, repaired airplanes, worked as laboratory technicians, rigged parachutes, served as radio operators, analyzed photographs, flew military aircraft across the country, test-flew newly repaired planes, and even trained anti-aircraft artillery gunners by acting as flying targets.” Women who did these jobs were known as Women Ordinance Workers (WOWs). A poster published by the U.S. Government Printing Office in 1942 shows a “WOW” beside the hats of six women’s branches of military service: Women Ordinance Worker (WOW), Navy Nurse, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVE), Army Nurse, Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC)e, and Red Cross.

On the War Front

While some women supplied the workforce, others sought to participate in the war itself. American women had been participants in war before, but not to the extent that they were finally given access to in World War II.

In “May 1942 … Congress passed legislation creating the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps, or WAAC”. This created a way for women to serve their country officially and in uniform. The WAAC gained thousands of recruits, including the Women Ordinance Workers (WOWs), Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs), Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVEs), Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), United States Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS), Army Nurses, Navy Nurses, and Red Cross. By “the end of World War II, more than 59,000 American nurses had served in the Army Nurse Corps. … Nurses received 1,619 medals, citations, and commendations during the war, including 16 medals awarded posthumously to women who died as a result of enemy fire.” “A few more than 1,100 young women, all civilian volunteers, flew almost every type of military aircraft — including the B-26 and B-29 bombers”.

Limited Progress

The shift in women’s status in America as a result of the United States Participation in the war is undeniable. Yet, some historians argue that the impact was not as lasting or influential in the progression of women’s rights as previously thought.

During the Second World War, there was a definite change in expectations and possibilities for women in the workplace. However, at the close of the war, these advancements started to reverse. “Women were forced off their jobs at war’s end, and the war propaganda machine went into reverse gear after VJ-Day, extolling the virtues of women’s role in the home” Men were returning home and they wanted their jobs back and their traditional wives back. “Many of the jobs women were offered during the war -Rosie the Riveter’s is the perfect example-were taken away from them at its conclusion and were not in sec- tors women had previously shown a desire to enter”. The programs made for women to participate in the war came under threat of ending. ‘It was a very controversial time for women flying aircraft. There was a debate about whether they were needed any longer.

Conclusion

War is a powerful force of human nature. When it occurs, extensive changes occur in societies: technological advancements, structural developments in government, the evolution of religion, or changes that directly affect the citizens of a society. “The dominant feature of the female labor force in the United States across the twentieth century is its striking and large increase. But continuity in the increase may be an illusion”.

The investigation of how the United States’ participation in World War Two impacted women’s role sheds light on the challenges and limitations of a historian and the values of historical investigation. To explore the research question, the investigation used collected information from a variety of types of sources, including journals, books, and articles. An evaluation of the validity of the sources considered their values and limitations. By consulting the education, achievements, and other recognitions of the authors the investigation confirmed the reliability of origin.

The research method used in the historical investigation was mostly conducted online. This made the search convenient and efficient. Especially because the topic is a fairly well-studied one, a lot of information found about it was accessible in documentaries, images, websites, journals, and podcasts; all things accessible by the internet. However, internet research didn’t allow for access to other potential sources that might have been found in a library.

Works Cited

1. Do the job he left behind. Apply U.S. Employment Service.. 1943. XX343.31140. Poster collection. Hoover Institution Archives, Stanford, CA. https://digitalcollections.hoover.org/objects/40764. http://digitalcollections.hoover.org, 7 November 2019.
2. Garcia, Rachel. “World War II Homefront.” OAH Magazine of History, vol. 16, no. 3, 2002, pp. 57–58. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25163528.
3. Goldin, Claudia D. “The Role of World War II in the Rise of Women’s Employment.” The American Economic Review, vol. 81, no. 4, 1991, pp. 741–756. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2006640.
4. Impact of World War II on the U.S. Economy and Workforce, Iowa Public Television, 2006, http://www.iptv.org/iowapathways/artifact/impact-world-war-ii-us-economy-and-workforce.
5. Kosier, Edwin J. “The Story of the WAF: WOMEN IN THE AIR FORCE . . . . . . Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” Aerospace Historian, vol. 15, no. 2, 1968, pp. 18–23. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44525177.
6. Mulligan, Casey B. “Pecuniary Incentives to Work in the United States during World War II.” Journal of Political Economy, vol. 106, no. 5, 1998, pp. 1033–1077. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/250039.
7. “Partners in Winning the War: American Women in World War II.” Partners in Winning the War: American Women in World War II, National Women’s History Museum, Oct. 2017, https://www.ncsbn.org/11565.htm.
8. Stamberg, Susan. “Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls.” NPR, NPR, 9 Mar. 2010, https://www.npr.org/2010/03/09/123773525/female-wwii-pilots-the-original-fly-girls.
9. “Striking Women.” World War II: 1939-1945 | Striking Women, https://www.striking-women.org/module/women-and-work/world-war-ii-1939-1945.
10. Treidler, Adolph, Artist, and Funder/Sponsor United States Army. Ordnance Department. She’s a WOW Woman Ordnance Worker Keep ’em shooting! / / Adolph Treidler. [Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.
11. Warm, Tracey. “Wartime Production.” OAH Magazine of History, vol. 16, no. 3, 2002, pp. 47–52. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25163526.
12. “$25 Bond Booklet; Contains Twenty (20) $.25 Stamps ($5.00) toward the $18.75 Needed to Purchase a $25 Bond.” Pickler Memorial Library, Truman State University, https://library.truman.edu/manuscripts/W2-WWII War Effort.asp.

A. Background

Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to differentiating between masculinity and femininity. Depending on the context, these characteristics may include biological sex is the state of being male, female, or an intersex variation, sex-based social structures is gender roles or gender identity. So, gender is a difference between the two sides, namely masculine and feminine. The emergence of this classification is a culture from the past that is shared by a group of people in an environment. Both can also arise because of the impact of the social environment in society. Usually, parents who have daughters will be given elegant and beautiful clothes, doll toys, cooking utensils, and colors that match the culture in harmony with the female figure. Vice versa, if they have a boy, they will give him brave clothes, toy guns and cars, and colors that display the male figure according to the culture of the social environment around. But that is not always settled in a child. As we get older, the social environment will also take a role in determining the child’s gender choices. It may be that a man who is often associated with women will tend to his feminist nature, and vice versa. Because the role of parents is no longer able to fully control if the child understands their identity more than their parents. The decision can also have a bad and good impact. But it is their right to make decisions in finding their true identity.

Feminism is a range of social movements, political movements, and ideologies that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism seeks to counter gender stereotypes and seeks to build educational and professional opportunities for women who are equal to men. Feminist movements have campaigned for women’s rights, including the right to vote, to hold public office, to work, to get a fair wage, to own property, to undergo education, and to have equal rights in marriage. Feminists have also tried to protect women and girls from rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. Because in ancient times, culture in society had determined that a woman must be below the level of men and must always be at home taking care of the household without any compensation. Therefore they make a movement to break down the culture of injustice in society.

UNICEF says gender equality means that women and men, and girls and boys, enjoy the same rights, resources, opportunities and protections. It does not require that girls and boys, or women and men, be the same, or that they be treated exactly alike. In that case, it is said that men and women have the same rights and powers. Not that they should be equated in any case. But in certain aspects that must be the same as men. Because apart from the very clear gender differences, in certain aspects also men and women there are differences. For example in terms of concentration, men can only do one particular job and cannot while completing other work. Moreover, a woman is a person who can accomplish a lot of work at the same time. Therefore, women demand their right to get equal rewards from men. They are not puppets or slaves whose positions are under the control of men.

In prosecuting equality through campaigns, women also often prosecute through literary works that criticize these injustices. They created a work with a pseudonym not to be too risky. Among them is poetry that makes women voice their feminist movement.

B. Discussion.

No wonder

Sun, 06/21/2015 – 21:59 – acnoel

• We grew up with Barbie dolls, princesses, baseball and football stars
• We grew up being taught, ‘pink is a girl’s color and blue is for boys
• We grew up being taught it’s a man’s world
• We grew up being taught people only marry of the opposite sex,

From stanza above is a description of the life of a capable child. Her parent has printed their daughter’s future. Hope their daughter becomes a perfect woman by giving her dolls and being a princess. Even from a color sense, they teach certain colors to symbolize the colors of women and vice versa. She has been taught that the world of women and men is very different. The world of women is only limited to the walls of the house, not far from taking care of children and their homes. Moreover, her freedom to determine their daughter’s life partner.

1. No wonder now all we want is to be perfect
2. No wonder everything is based on gender roles
3. No wonder women aren’t taken seriously
4. No wonder we don’t let anyone be who they want to be,

The second stanza is the result of the first stanza. Of all the demands and imprints applied to the childhood life of the girl, she also has the desire to become a perfect woman for her parents. Because everything has to do with gender. Just as the public sees a woman as being more fit to wear a skirt than wearing pants. In fact, most people consider women always have a rigid nature and can’t be invited to joke. It was because of a woman who just stayed at home. They never know anything else outside the home. It all started with the demands of parents who want their children to be what they expect. Not so that their daughter is up to what she wants.

Because we grew up on falsification and conformity.

The last stanza or the last line is the reason why everything happened in the second stanza. Because parents and the social environment have embraced the culture of the past and were never aware of the negative impact of that culture. For example, a woman who has the same expertise as a man. But parents still hold fast to make their daughters work like a woman. That could kill the girl’s skill by force.

My wonder women

Mon, 09/17/2018 – 07:39 — shrims1

• It is 2018.
• It is time.
• Time to end the stereotypes and say it’s fine.
• Throw away your barbies.
• And say it out loud!
• I won’t take it anymore
• I want a wonder woman in this crowd.

The first stanza of the poem is the beginning of the feminist movement. The women’s movement realizes that so far there has been slavery in society that has been adhered to for many years. A society that always looks down on women’s lives and always restrains women by the rules they create themselves. They even voiced not to educate their daughters about what parents want. The child should have their own dream in their future. Without having to be printed according to the wishes of parents. This if left unchecked would be a major disaster for the survival of humanity. Only because of an injustice.

• A woman they say – not as strong as a man
• A woman they say – can’t do what he can
• But I beg to differ and here is my proof
• Ladies, Wonder Woman is here to rescue you.

In the second stanza stated some understandings of the weaknesses of women. Women’s strength is not comparable to men’s strength. Society considers women who do not have any expertise. From all of that has been broken by the presence of a female hero. Even though it is a fictional film, it is enough to break down the stereotypes of society about women. Public prejudice that cannot be taken for granted regarding the justice of rights between men and women.

• A woman with values.
• A woman with beliefs.
• A woman not made of flowers or rings.
• A woman not made to be subtle
• One who will walk on fire
• Wrestle the evil
• And prove…that she is…an equal

The third stanza is proof that women deserve to get what men get. Women who have the qualities to balance world life and have the qualities that can be trusted will carry heavy tasks such as men. A woman should not be equated with gentleness and elegance. They are precise if they grow in harsh and heavy environments, then they will also be able to be equal to men. Then all that will be proven that women also have the same degree as men.

You laugh and say we don’t need feminism

wonder woman is just another modern aspect of this movement

This movement affects everyone around us

But let me tell you

While you laugh at this movement

You are laughing at the 15 million girls who will become child brides this year alone

You are laughing at the millions of young girls sold into sex slavery and at the 70% of women in India who are victims of domestic violence

And at one in five rape victims in the united states

And at all of the people in the world who are discriminated against because of something as simple as their gender.

The fourth stanza is an expression of the feminist movement that they should have existed long ago. Because those who care about victims of early marriage, female slavery, sex discrimination, domestic violence and sexual violence. Because they demand the right of women to get justice. Women are not an object to satisfy men’s desires.

Yes it’s true that she is just another fictional superhero

But it is also true that – what we see determines our thinking and that

These young girls who want waists like their barbies

Need a role model like wonder woman

Who will instill strength and independence in our young girls

In the fifth stanza explains back to the figure of a fictional hero named wonder Woman. Even though she is a fictitious figure, but this figure is a guide for women to get their full rights. Because they have had enough of the falsehood to be perfect in the eyes of society. A society that has beauty standards that restrict women from achieving it.

Hah – we say she is the man

Well, how do we make them realize that

She is the woman.

She is the woman who is not using an iron, but one that’s made of iron.

The woman is not using a fire, but one that’s made of fire.

The sixth verse still describes who the wonder women are. She is a woman with iron clothes and is strong against iron blows. Women who have passed through bleak times but also still standing tall become strong.

The woman not preparing your dinner but the woman preparing for battles and wars

The woman not preparing for her marriage but the woman preparing for bruises and punches.

The woman not preparing her hands to be fine and delicate but a woman preparing her hands to fight anyone who comes her way.

The woman not preparing for you anymore. A woman preparing for herself.

The seventh stanza describes wonder women from their daily habits. She doesn’t just prepare dinner, think about how her marriage is, and take care of her skin. But she is a hero who is ready to fight against anyone who blocks her desire for equality, is ready to take the beatings and wounds on his body, and she does all that for gender justice.

Sex-positive virgin Goddess

Thu, 08/15/2019 – 17:17 — nelpogrando

Artemis doesn’t actually care if you’re celibate.

She protects virgin girls, yes, but also women (and men) who have sex all the time.

Artemis in Greek mythology is the goddess of hunting, the wild, wild animals, virgins, and hills. She is a carrier and contender for diseases in women and is a Goddess who helps in the birth process. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sisters of Apollo. He is described as a hunter and carries bows and arrows.

She was born in an era where human women had little to no autonomy.

Her purpose is to promote gender equality, in all of its forms.

As we have evolved, so has she.

The second stanza is a description of the Goddess Artemis who was born in an era when women became a minority. Her birth became a goal to uphold gender equality and equalize it. Because the world is not only like that, it needs a change to balance gender.

She was there at the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, and at Sandra Day O’Connor’s confirmation, and at the first Women’s March.

The third stanza is a description of the Goddess Artemis as a female figure. Sandra Day O’Connor is an American jurist. O’Connor was the first woman to serve as a United States Supreme Court Justice. President Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor in 1981. She continued to serve as a justice until she retired in 2006. During her time on the court, some publications ranked her among the most powerful women in the world. On August 12, 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

She understands that the goalposts have been moved.

In Ancient Greece, the dream of running away to stay single was most women’s only chance at freedom from the patriarchy.

In the fourth stanza is the understanding between the present and the actions of Sandra Day O’Connor. Namely a movement of freedom in women with all the rights they have. There are no more limitations for women to voice their rights. And the figure of Sandra is another proof that women deserve to be equal to men.

Now, many women can marry for love, or not at all, and become creators, and performers, and leaders.

Artemis loves these advances, brought to us by hard-working, brave, fearless women.

The fifth stanza is about a destination for women. The goal where women can get love, lead, players, and creators. That is also the purpose of the birth of Goddess Artemis in this world. Make women free men.

She looks forward to watching the next wave of justice crash over the heads of misogynists around the world.

As long as you are an intersectional feminist, she loves you too.

The fifth stanza is the act of the Goddess Artemis to always oversee how the era it carries goes with time. She has found an era where all his goals for women are achieved. It could even be said that anyone who respects the existence of feminism, then he will be protected by the Goddess Artemis.

C. Conclusion.

From the three poems, we find a pattern. Starting from the stereotype of society that considers women to be below of men in the first poem. Then women realize that, and they try to get the same rights as men in the second poem. In the third poem, women take an action through the feminist movement to demand gender equality. Fairness and equality in treating women. Because not only men who work and get money. Women also work more than men and don’t get any rewards. On the other hand, women also use literary works to voice feminism. Therefore, in ancient times literary works were a very deep criticism for those who were criticized.

D. References.

1. Forbes (2004). The World’s Most Powerful Women.
2. Haig, David (2004). The Inexorable Rise of Gender and the Decline of Sex: Social Change in Academic Titles.
3. Laura Brunell and Elinor Burkett (2019). Feminism is the belief in social, economic, and political equality of the sexes.
4. LeMoyne, Roger (2011). Promoting Gender Equality: An Equity-based Approach to Programming.
5. McCaslin, John (2001). Power Women. Washington, D.C.
6. Stevenson, R. W. (2005). O’Connor, First Woman Supreme Court Justice, The New York Times.
7. Udry, J. Richard (1994). The Nature of Gender.
8. https://www.powerpoetry.org/poems/sex-positive-virgin-goddess
9. https://www.powerpoetry.org/poems/my-wonder-women
10. https://www.powerpoetry.org/poems/no-wonder

The lives of women differed throughout America’s history as they fought to secure the Blessings of Liberty. Despite the hardships that women faced, they continued their best to prosper and to defy society’s role for them. Women faced the stereotype of being less intelligent, capable, and strong but they worked to prove these ideas wrong. These women from all over the United States came together to achieve a common goal; obtaining rights. Life changed for women of all classes from the Reconstruction Era through the Industrial Age because of their persistence of obtaining Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

During the Reconstruction Era women experienced changes that altered their way of life. The Cult of Domesticity defined a women’s role in rural areas as a devoted mother and wife who looked after the house. Women went to school, as then required by most states. The Women’s Christian Temperance Movement challenged the problem of alcoholic husbands because women faced sexual, mental, and physical abuse by their husbands. Their main goal was to outlaw alcohol in the United States and to close all saloons. To fight abuse from alcoholism, mostly middle-class women closed over three thousand bars by asking daily for saloons to close down. This movement also encouraged the creation of the Do-Everything Policy where women fought for other rights, such as suffrage. The National Women Suffrage Association created by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, both influential women figures, fought for women suffrage. This association was a result of Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony stating their disapproval of the fourteenth amendment during the Equal Rights Association discussion. One of their biggest goals was to ratify the Fifteenth Amendment and this came to happen in 1870. The Grange movement helped women who lived in rural areas build a better life for their family and to become social. It began two years into Reconstruction as a way to help farmers recover from the financial crisis of 1873. Women took part as organizers and advertisers for this cause, which saw men and women equal. This movement improved many lives by giving them a role that did not involve housekeeping, the normal job of a rural wife and mother. The Temperance, Suffrage, and Grange movements all attempted in securing the Blessings of Liberty by improving the lives of women in multiple aspects.

During the Settlement of the West, women worked hard to build their own life and a sense of independence. The settlement of the west brought many women who worked on their own as prostitutes, cooks, and laundresses. At this time prostitution was legal and an in demand job because many of the men who rushed to the West were single and lonely. The role of a housewife at this time was to cook and clean, therefore men did not know how to complete these tasks. Cooks and laundresses make around thirty dollars a day and sometimes made more money than male miners. Women homesteaders were another important key to the Settlement of the West because they helped the economy flourish and encouraged women to buy homesteads. Women sold their own goods, such as eggs, butter, and milk, which all came from their own households. Not only did women homesteaders raise animals and sold their own goods, they cooked, canned, and washed clothes as well. Single women who were in their twenties bought land, which broke down the societal norm of only men owning land. Mormon Women had an influence in the suffrage movement as they moved to the West for refuge from religious persecution. Despite their belief in polygamy, Mormon women believed that they were responsible enough to vote. People who were against polygamy out casted their views and stated that they only wanted the right the vote so that they could vote the same way as their husbands did. The act of polygamy was illegal in the Utah territory until it became a state in 1896. In this era, women are obtaining their rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness by defying society’s expectations of women.

In the Industrial Age women focused on helping others by creating influential organizations, adjusting gender roles, and changing partnership ideas. To help the youth and those affected by disasters, women created clubs and organizations. The Young Women’s Christian Association aided young women in the fields of intellect and social skills by providing education and a social cultural community. Many charity organizations such as the American Red Cross helped people who were in need. The American Red Cross, founded in 1881, worked in disaster relief all across the world. The adjustment of gender roles in the Industrial Age influenced leisure sports and job openings. Women who were younger and more independent rode bikes and played basketball for teams in college. The crisis of masculinity and the boom of big businesses allowed more jobs for women. Due to the increase of opportunities open to women, they began to push for women’s rights. African American women faced Jim Crow Laws that segregated races, but they still found ways to end segregation and to create a community within the YWCA and the National Association of Colored Women. The National Association of Colored women worked towards completing goals of providing education for African American kids, helping with shelter and healthcare necessities, and funding schools for African Americans. Despite the horrible Jim Crow Laws, women created a sense of community within the African Americans, which provided a family for those who did not have one. Many women became incredibly educated so that they could stop segregation, but this ended up in family neglect. Women worked hard throughout this era to establish justice for themselves and others.

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness are all main values of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution that reflect in the accomplishments and lives of women from the Reconstruction to the Industrial Age. Women strived hard to establish justice and to secure the blessing of liberty by fighting for their rights and the rights of others. They challenged gender roles and fought for their rights. In addition, they worked hard, contributed to the economy, created communities, and battled alcoholism. Throughout these ages, women fought for themselves and everyone around them, giving them the Life, Liberty and Happiness promised by the United States of America.

World War Two was a war that was including the Axis powers and Allies. It is rare to hear about women in the war effort because during this time, discrimination for women was normalized. But because it was normalized, stories of them were rarely shared. Millions of women were in the war effort, whether talking about auxiliary, snipers, medics, or even factory workers. There is also dozens and dozens of incredible stories of women who contributed to the success of World War Two.

Women for the United States

Just in the United States alone, almost 400,000 women served with the armed forces. Over 460 of these women died as a result of warfare and 16 of them from direct enemy fire. Most American women were in auxiliary units, aircraft units, and nurses. If it were not for these would not have any war effort because of these units mostly women were running. They were also a big contribution to, and mostly ran, the mass production of ships, weapons, ammo, etc. In 1945, women comprised 36.1% of civilian labor force and in the heat of the war, there were way over 19 million working through this. The female labor force grew by 6.5 million people. In the war, women we roughly almost all medical personnel. The US army had 60,000 nurses (Not counting female doctors) and not a single male nurse. The military kept nurses as far from combat as possible, but occasionally get hit by mostly Kamikazes and multiple instances of people being taken as prisoners of war (mostly by the Eastern Front). And the US even recruited Japanese-American women in the armed services as translators, which really saved the US.

Women in the Soviet Union

In the Soviet Union, there were over 800,000 women who fought on the front line. Most of them were also aircraft units, auxiliary, and medics, but because of the mass casualties, they were most likely put in the front line. Women were 3% of the military personnel and that number kept growing and growing because women were treated more equally in the military in Soviets than anywhere else in the world. Eighty-nine women received the Hero of the Soviet Union award (the equivalent of the Medal of Honor in the United States) and among the women that received this award were pilots, snipers, machine gunners, tank crew members, partitions, and auxiliary. They had over 1200 snipers with a combine of 11,000 killings of enemy snipers alone.

Women in Ally Powers

In the allied powers, the female casualties were mostly from aircraft bombings. Aircraft women flew up to 8 missions per night. Their tactic was to fly low and stall the engine, coast on top of the targets and bomb them. Germans claimed it sounded like a witches laugh, so they were given the name “Night Witches”. Women were mostly recruited in France and Britain for secret missions and espionage.

Women in Axis Powers

On the German side, women were solely taken in for the medical field, they had four different medical units and one of them was only provided for dedicated Nazis. Meaning they had no female auxiliary. In Japan, women did not work, they recruited as sex slaves for soldiers and were called “comfort women”. 300,000 women were involved in sex slave and it was not just Japan, it was most of the Eastern front.

Honorable Women: Doctor Margaret Crayheel

Dr. Crayheel studied at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine and served as a dean of the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. She was a private assistant in New York for general surgery, while also being given private practice for gynecology. Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill and allowed women into the Army and Navy. Craighill became the first female doctor to receive army commission and was assigned to serve as a liaison with the Women’s Army Corps. She later on became a consultant on women veterans’ medical care.

Honorable Women: Lyudmila Pavlichenko

Pavlichenko was one of the first women to volunteer in the recruiting office. She was given the chance to be in the medical units, but she specifically asked to be a part of the infantry and, instead, became one of 2000 snipers for the Red Army. Pavlichenko was one of the 500 that made it out alive by the end. The reason she is so honorable is because she had an estimated 270 German kills, mostly officers, and 309 kills total including 36 enemy snipers. She ended up getting wounded and withdrawn. She was later invited to the white house by Franklin Roosevelt and invited to tour the US with Eleanor Roosevelt.

Honorable Women: Gertrude Boyarsky

Boyarsky was living in Poland when the Germans invaded. She witnessed her entire family get murdered. When she escaped, she found a Russian partition group and told them she was going to avenge her family. Boyarsky is honorable because not only did she steal a dangerous amount of kerosene from a German supply depot, she proceeded to burn a Nazi built bridge that connected the supplies to the German front line. When she found that the bridge was burning fast enough, she started pulling the bridge apart with her bare hands. She was a teenager.

The keywords absolute and other hold a pivotal significance in de Beauvoir’s writings, in reference to the statement woman is the absolute Other. While the statement held magnitude in the relevant era, and continues to do so in several aspects in the modern day, it can be argued that there have been social developments that no longer abide by the writings. De Beauvoir uses and draws from several ideals to develop the idea, concluding that man is the subject and woman is the object. This essay will account for the circumstances and ideas behind this statement, as well as evaluate the key arguments and descriptions that have followed.

Prior to critically assessing the statement that a woman is the absolute Other, it is of utmost importance to understand the origins and sources that contributed to this expression. As aforementioned, the statement woman as the absolute other represents the idea that man is the subject and woman is the object. As the subject, men are free to connect and engage with the world, fulfilling roles of their choice, often those attributed to masculinity. Women, however, are the object, brought down to their inherent and social construction in society. For example, just by the virtue of being a woman, one is reduced to their domestic role in society. Beauvoir questions how one can be a human being if they are in the ‘situation’ of a woman – referring to her infamous quote “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman” (Beauvoir, cited by (Butler, n.d.). Her questioning of one’s humanity based on their gender shows that women are not able to uphold or support their freedom and liberty of action. This automatically prompts women to behave and act to the standards of the society they are part of. These ideas can also be understood as existentialist feminism. Her statement can be looked at with different aspects of her writing, such as The Second Sex. Her thorough analysis of womanhood, myths and the journey following the differing situations of being a woman ultimately surround and support the idea of the absolute and the other, the absolute being the male and the other being the female. Societal structures such as patriarchy have encouraged the continuous oppression of women, and there are many societies in the modern day that still enforce this structure. De Beauvoir’s writings on situations of womanhood portray and contribute to the concept of woman as the absolute other.

Her chapter on situations of womanhood in volume 3, part 2 of her book, The Second Sex, is significant to the statement woman is the absolute Other. The statement is often seen to be proven in her writings, where women are looked at oppressively in each situation. De Beauvoir does not necessarily point out the strengths of womanhood, but rather focuses on where women are let down by society. She starts with an analysis on the married woman, where she expresses a woman’s destiny. The chapter begins with “The destiny that society traditionally offers women is marriage”. The idea that this is what women were inherently built for this social role, makes a woman, as de Beauvoir says, the other. The absolute is able to interact with the world on their own terms, however, the other has a predestined life, one where the ‘successes’ of their life are pre-determined by the structures in society. The idea of marriage for men and women differs but while both sexes need each other, “this necessity has never fostered reciprocity.” (p502). It is then insisted that the man, the absolute, needs a woman to do tasks he himself cannot do in the pursuit of exploring and interacting with the world, e.g. domestic work. The situation of a married woman is to stick to the social construct of a woman in the world and support her spouse by reciprocating his needs but expecting nothing of the same degree in return.

This concept is applicable in many aspects, such as sexual relations, and self-needs and one can even reference Maslow’s hierarchy, specifically love/belonging and esteem, as a form of reciprocity women do not receive, in terms of de Beauvoir’s theories. An example in the modern day is the system of patriarchy, which is said to date back over 6000 years, where the general societal structure is where men hold more power and value than women. It is still highly prevalent in South Asian countries and has held a high stance in inequality through time. Often, women are subjected to traditional roles, not given the same opportunities in education, the workplace and society in general. Religion and tradition lead other women to push women into these traditional roles. Some women are so tied to these roles, instead of encouraging them to progress, they suppress them in these roles. This can be linked back to de Beauvoir’s writings of situations in marriage, as a mother, social life and even old age. Her mention on dowry is significant because although it is illegal in the modern day, many conservative societies tend to encourage dowry. It is seen as a practice that enslaves women to a family and stands almost as a contract between the two families. This can be seen to dehumanize women, and thus prevents them from having feelings of love and belonging in Maslow’s hierarchy. De Beauvoir argues this in the situation of a married woman. An important argument that supports the statement woman is the absolute other, is “she is married, given in marriage by her parents. Boys marry; they take a wife”. This essentially analyses and emphasizes the idea of a woman being the object, because she is being given. She is still the other, because she is not significant, besides all the roles she is destined for, and often the idea of having a baby girl has been looked at as a burden rather than a blessing. Society has constructed the idea of women being a burden, a woman must be given away but must be beautiful and desirable for a man. Additionally, a woman does not carry forward any of the familial traditions, such as last name, religion, customs and beliefs. A woman, instead, gives herself to a man, and adapts to the needs and wants of her husband. This is not ideal for the traditional family. Modern day has seen a change in roles, where both husband and wife work or even the rise of ‘house-husbands’. While de Beauvoir’s theory remains mostly relevant in today’s day, these writings do not necessarily occur in every situation.

A woman’s destiny is further analyzed in the situation as body, as a mother, in old age. De Beauvoir boldly states that a woman’s physiological destiny is to give birth. That is her purpose, and once she is of old age, a woman has no identity, no true merit left in life. De Beauvoir argues that it is not the biological condition of being a woman that amounts to being disadvantaged, rather it is how a woman reacts and responds to her environment. No experience unique to a woman, biologically, such as, the [development of] female sex organs, menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause have a negative significance to society. However, in a conservative, oppressive society, they can be looked at as a burden, a situation that must be ‘handled’. This can be argued because de Beauvoir previously referred to pregnancy and childbirth as being a woman’s physiological destiny. Providing that is the case in her theory, it is worth considering and questioning why the biological functions necessary for a woman to fulfill this same destiny, which has been instilled by the values of society, would be a burden. Do the development of the biological systems of a woman hinder the progress of a man or society? Observing this, De Beauvoir talks extensively of the values and beliefs in the patriarchal society, questioning the system and its outcomes. However, rather than looking into how to abolish such a system, or attempt to uproot it, she simply disputes how a woman can be free in the system of patriarchy. This can arguably be perceived as unjust, as it implies that a woman has no choice but to work much harder than a man to flourish in an oppressive society.

Going back to the idea “one is not born, rather becomes a woman”, it is worth questioning, how does one actually become a woman? Pre-adolescent boys and girls tend to have similar, if not the same, sexual desires as they begin to develop. Where does this all change? One perspective on this is that even when a girl tries to forget the oppressive situation placed on her just by the virtue of her biological being, society constantly reminds her that she must follow a strict set of standards. Phrases such as “sit like a girl,” “close your legs,” “cover-up,” “don’t be so rough” and so on, as well as the idea that girls should always be well presented and made up, immediately change the balance between a girl and a boy. Furthermore, de Beauvoir talks about how as women’s bodies develop, they experience more trauma and society reacts in an aggressive, intimidating manner. However, this concept is flawed as it asserts (and promotes the idea that?) that girls are always attributed automatically to organizational and domesticated roles, and men are never attributed to these roles. While feminism talks about equality on the ground of the sexes, de Beauvoir’s theory can sometimes be flawed in actually pursuing this; when she talks about a boy and man’s inability to perform tasks for themselves, it can be argued that she is automatically disfavouring their abilities. While these statements are based off the structures of society, de Beauvoir could have potentially taken a different outlook and talked about men being able to perform these tasks – if society gave it a chance. In the modern day, while there are societies that still promote traditional roles, there are many examples of where men have been seen as capable of taking care of themselves, as opposed to her writings. A simple example is boys at university away from home or working their first job. Their female classmates/colleagues will not be doing their domestic work for them – this is a responsibility they have to take up. Another outlook on de Beauvoir’s idea that woman is the absolute other, is that she speaks on general terms, based on research and personal experience. The writings are generalized and therefore it can be argued that they cannot assess each individual and their situation, for better or for worse.

A midwife is many women’s channel of care throughout the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal period and is key in providing women with support and information to provide safe and compassionate care throughout their journey. This includes the promotion of normal birth while assessing the well-being of the woman and fetus and taking any preventative or emergency measures to ensure their well-being. A key role of a contemporary midwife is to be proactive in educating women to ensure women are empowered to make their own informed choices about their care. It is vital for a midwife to asses a woman’s needs and give her the necessary

• In contrast evidence
• Free to move and adopt other positions
• Woman centered
• How many women give birth and lay down

Why is the position in labor important/relevant?

The position of a woman is of significant importance and relevance in the role of a contemporary midwife. Having a choice of birth positions during labor can have a positive impact on the maternal birth experience, whereas restricting a woman from being able to mobilize and adapt to alternative positions during labor can have physical and psychological effects on the woman.

Birthing in an upright position has benefits to both the woman and the fetus during labor. Gravity can help the fetus progress down the birth canal, in addition to this an upright position can also reduce the risk of the women’s aorta being compressed and reducing oxygen supply to the fetus. An upright position can also enable the fetus to adopt a good position when going through the pelvis and can help deliver stronger contractions. Studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have shown that the dimensions of the pelvic outlet become wider when a woman is in a squatting or kneeling position, rather than lying on their back (Gupta et al. 2017). Therefore, the labor is less likely to need intervention and can result in a more positive, normal birth experience for the woman.

Why I chose this topic

Role of the midwife in relation to position in the labor

It is key that the midwife is competent in her knowledge and can give the woman the correct information, backed up with the latest evidence. One of the key roles of a midwife is to be proactive in giving women accurate information and communicating it in a clear way when discussing alternative birthing positions. For example, during the early stages of labor, the midwife may encourage a woman to stand up and walk around if labor is slow. The midwife will explain to the woman that her labor may progress quicker if she is mobile or adopts more upright positions. It is important the midwife is competent in giving this information as this will give the woman the confidence to try alternative positions and make her own informed decision on the best position for her. As set out in the Better Births review (2016) midwives should provide unbiased opinions and information to help women develop their care plans and provide personalized, woman-centered care. A Cochrane systematic review (2013) investigated maternal positions and mobility in the first stage of labor. This found that the first stage of labor was up to one hour and twenty minutes shorter for women who adopted an upright position or walked around. This can reduce the need for medical intervention, as prolonged labour may result in the woman becoming exhausted or overwhelmed and needing medical intervention during the later stages of labor. There is also less chance of a woman using an epidural or having a cesarean section. The research also shows that there is less chance of the fetus being admitted to NICU, which shows benefits to both the woman and the fetus. These should all be communicated to the woman, so she is able to make an informed choice, by knowing the benefits and risks of each position. A survey conducted in Africa about women’s knowledge and use of labour and birthing positions shown that 99.2% of women knew about birthing in the supine position, whereas only 66.4% and 60.6% knew about using walking and lateral positions during labour (Zileni et al., 2017, pp. 1-8).

On the other hand, although it is vital the midwife gives the woman information and encouragement to facilitate more upright, mobile positions during labor, it is important midwife should always respect a woman’s wishes and support her to utilize a position that she finds most comfortable and in control, rather than the position that is optimal in the midwife’s opinion. This position may not be an upright position, however, if the woman is comfortable in this position it is the midwife’s role to respect her decision and enable the woman to make her own informed choice. It is vital for the woman to remain in control during labor, this can prevent unnecessary intervention and help reduce pain and her reaction to it. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations for intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience (2018) recommends that women should be encouraged to adopt a birth position of their own choice, including an upright position, without forcing the position upon the woman. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) states that midwives should ‘encourage and empower people to share decisions about their treatment and care (Nursing and Midwifery Council NMC, 2018).

In addition to this the midwife should communicate effectively to see if the woman has a birth plan, which may outline what positions she would like to go in during different stages of labor. It is the midwife’s job to respect this plan and adjust where possible to facilitate this. For example, the midwife will ensure a birthing ball is available in the labor room if the woman has specifically requested to use the ball during labor, on her birth plan. This also keeps the woman upright and mobile and can help labor progress. This also shows the woman the midwife is committed to providing her with the best care and respecting her birth plan. communication is a key part of midwifery to ensure women are aware of different positions that can facilitate normal, safe birth. It is likely that a woman will want to adopt an upright position for the first stages of labor. However, as labor progresses many women may choose to lie down. This is where the midwife can be key in encouraging more upright positions as labor progresses and communicating the benefits of these positions to the woman regarding her progression in labor, while supporting her choice for the most comfortable position. NICE (2017) states that a it is important to ensure that the woman has control over what is happening to her and to be aware if the woman has a birth plan, if there is a birth plan ensure it is read and discussed with the woman.

However, regarding positions during labor it is the midwife’s role they act within the woman’s best interest, which may occasionally mean deferring from the birth plan. It is important the midwife recognizes the woman’s individual needs and how they might change. A key role of the midwife is to monitor the woman and fetus during labor and this should be considered by the midwife when discussing and encouraging different birthing positions. For example,

However, women with complex obstetric needs usually get left on CTG monitors. It is the midwife’s role to ensure that she delivers safe care to the woman but also encourages and facilitates different positions where available. For example, 7945745% of women were admitted to give birth on a labour ward. this could be due to continuous monitoring, however, devices such as ….. could be used to encourage mobility and different positions. Continuous CTG can restrict other beneficial interventions during labor, such as having a choice of labor and birth positions and being able to walk around freely. Upright positions with traditional epidural analgesia, which provides a dense neuraxial block, might not be feasible; however, most epidural analgesia currently provided are “low dose” and “mobile” epidural analgesia, which should enable a choice of birth positions.

The healthcare professional should ensure that the well-being of the baby can be adequately monitored in the woman’s chosen position. Should a change in a position be necessary to ensure adequate fetal monitoring, this should be effectively communicated to the woman.

A practical approach to positioning in the second stage for women desiring an upright birth position might be to adapt to a semi-recumbent or all-fours position just before expulsion of the fetus, to facilitate perineal techniques to reduce perineal tears and blood loss.

Women in Islam tend to be more equal to men than in most other religions. This is because of the teachings in the Quran. For example, one of their holy beliefs is that Adam and Eve were made from the same soul. They also believe that they both had the blame for committing the sin in the Garden of Eden. This shows that they aren`t really different, they are more similar. They also believe that Allah forgave them both equally. This also shows that they have the same value as each other. If we look at another religion like Judo-Christian, they say that Eve was the first one to commit the wrong doing and that Adam followed her. They were both punished. But was the punishment equal? Have a think.

Another teaching from the Quran staes that many women will have high statuses like Muhammad`s wife Khadijah, the first Muslim to convert. And after her conversion, she was an independent and wealthy business women in her own right. This shows that she was not controlled by her husband and she was a person with her own right. This speaks high volumes because in those times, women didn`t have their own right. They couldn`t do what they wanted. If we look at the other traditions, in the West, the women`s property was owned by their father. This also discouraged women to be successful in their own right. This shows that at the time the religion of Islam was more equal that other religions. This was also unfair for other traditional women as they could never do what they wanted and could never keep or have and could never keep or have their own property. Another teaching, in Islam is foretold, is that Muhammed`s wife Aysha, was a very famous scholar and teacher even after his death.

This shows a lot of things, first of all that she is famous after his death and second of all she is an educated women who can do anything with her life. It is her choice. But if we look at other religions, women weren’t allowed to go into higher education and teaching until the 19th century. This also shows that in those times, things were a lot less equal for women than they were for men. Up in this age, women still don`t have the same privileges as men still! If we look at they Quran, it says that a women has the right to choose her husband. The groom has to give a dowry (something valuable or money) to the bride for her own personal use. She gets to keep her family name, rather that taking her husband`s .

There is a twist here, instead of the bride`s family giving a dowry to the groom, it is the opposite way round. This also, overall gives respect to the bride so they don`t feel uncomfortable when they leave their family. Also, they get to keep their own surname. But also, in most other religions, you can keep your surname depending if you want to keep it or not. In other religions, most marriages tend to be arranged . This means that they might not be able to choose who to marry. In the religion of Islam, mothers have the highest honour as they brought Muslims in to the world. Muhammad says that “ paradise lies at the feet of your mother” This shows that mothers will always get the respect they need as they did a lot of good things. Whereas if we look at other religions, the father no what gain custody of a child until recently. This shows that, until recently, there hasn`t been any respect for women in other religions to do things like gain custody of their child or gain custody of money to support them in their everyday lives.

Also, even though isn`t in the Quran, in many Muslim countries, they have female heads of states in places like Turkey, Bangladesh and Pakistan. This shows that men and women are more equal than in other religions. If we look at other religions, few countries have heads of states that are female like the USA. This shows men have more rights than women.

The relationship between women and their place in religions has been a complex one since the origin of religions. Every religion has a different place for men and women within it, but typically women in the past have been placed as a minority in their ability to participate or to interact with the religion. Allowed to worship but refused to hold any place of authority, the battle between the female and her place in the household and in the church has shifted throughout the decades. In America, given the primary religion as being denominations of Christianity, the relationship between women and religion can better be analyzed there. For the most part, the relationship between women and religion is intricate when considering their orders to be submissive, shifting into new roles, and becoming feminized leading to ladies societies.

For women in early colonial times, they were the center of the household. As stated in our modules, in an agrarian early society women managed the house including the money and upbringing of children (Hackett, Lecture 7). They had the strongest hold on the home and were extremely instrumental. During this time, women were considered to be tough given their laborous jobs and focus on hardwork, and the living conditions led to less of a maternal instinct. Yet while they had this control at home, they were limited within their churches. Men were the only ones able to rise to a “higher status”, and were considered within churches as created as a submissive partner, like being created from Adam’s rib (Hackett, Lecture 7). This relationship between women and men, meant that women had power in the household, but was still segregated from the full worship experience within their congregations.

As time went on, American society slowly began to change and shift. With it, the roles of women changed as well. As colonial living morphed into more of a city lifestyle, the environment within a family’s home became different. Work was no longer a person’s life, and there was a split between public life and private life. This in turn affected the practice of religion and the womans place within it. “…it was extremely difficult for women to influence colonial congregational life directly in ways available to men… In the eighteenth century women could not vote. Women lost their property rights when they married, and women often had to have men manage property for them even when they had inherited it or purchased it themselves” (Butler, 125). More than ever, women were attending church compared to that of men. With the transition to a society around a city in comparison to a farm, less men seemed to attend church during that time compared to women. Yet women still had minimal to zero rights in society or leadership within their church.

While this change was occuring in society, the outlook on women also shifted. Women slowly became feminized compared to their former role as a tough head of the household decades before. Christianity turned a focus onto the loving Jesus instead of the judging God, and the traits of Jesus were looked for within women and their ability to bring up the children within the households (Hackett, Lecture 7). Also stated within that lecture, the feminization still didn’t bring about womens leadership progression within churches, so they created ladies societies that targeted helping the poor and orphans to gain some sort of footing within churches. By doing this, ladies were able to find a place within their religion that they hadn’t yet. Since the colonists arrival, women were seperated from the men within congregations unable to have a say even if they spent more time in church. This was the first time women gained some type of advantage and it didn’t stop there. This was similar to the experience of black women within their churches where they also “routinely shouldered the hard, day-to-day work of visiting the sick and teaching the young” (Butler, 229).

Clearly this doesn’t doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of the place women had within other cultures and religions including in Native American tribes and those of Islamic faith. Native American women typically had more authority within their tribes, with some even being matriarchal. Islam on the other hand had similar standards for womem of Christian faith. Yet regardless of the specific religion, women for the most part were treated as minorities within the history of religion in America. As we learned this semester, women in colonist and American life slowly changed in the eyes of society that were influenced by religion. They were tough, then feminine, submissive, and then rebellious. As time progressed some women even chose not to identify with a religion especially as sexuality no longer had Victorian-esque societal standards. Women have found strength within religion, even when it was used to oppress them, but they used it just like everyone else— to find purpose.

HYPOTHESIS

As per studies, many religions elevate the status of men over women. They have stricter sanctions and penalties against women. Many religions also expect them to be submissive. This is because there are fundamentals in each religion that tend to resist change. This leads to hindrance in not only women empowerment but also in other aspects of society.

Social and political factor also plays a major role that can have an impact on women empowerment. Even in today’s world there are places like mosques or temples that don’t allow women to enter. But when asked why, there are no clear answers most of the time but due to religious reasons. This research and analysis is an attempt to evaluate the hypothesis that theere is an influence of religion in shaping the country’s socio-political system which has an impact on women empowerment.

OTHER RESEARCH

A recent study conducted by the researcher from Georgetown University and Brigham Young University concluded that religious differences has a direct correlation to women’s ability to engage and contribute to the country’s economy. The study shows there is a clear linkage between freedom of religion, stability in economy and women’s empowerment. Several other regression based analysis were conducted that shows the impact of African, Islam and Christianity on women empowerment.

CLUSTERING TO IDENTIFY PATTERNS

In order to further identify different patterns, clustering method can be performed. Clustering would help us discover some hidden patterns. This wuld help us understand the role of political system in the advancement of women. As we have a mix of numerical and categorical data, we are using Gowers’s distance to observe and analyze our data.

Once the Gower’s distance is identified, we need to define the size of the clusters by doing Silhouette Analysis. We will use Partitioning around medoids here. It involves different steps which includes choosing k random entities to become the medoids. Using our distance matrix, we will assign entity. We will idetify the lowest averge distance and observe the data.

[CONCLUSION

From all our analysis and observation, we can conclude there there is a direct correlation between religious fractionality on different socio-political system on womean legislation empowerment. This could be due to the traditional beliefs amongst countries and increase in gender gap and legislation in different countries which impact women empowerment.

We have seen religion often causes a barrier in gender gap which contributes to inequality in gender throughout the world.. We need to understand the importance of religious freedom, without that, many countries will miss out on important voices that needs to be heard.

To close this gap in gender, strengthen economies and improve women rights, it is important to understand the religion bias and we need to take serious action on this.

REFERENCES

1. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/11/religion-holds-women-back-or-does-it/
2. https://www.datacamp.com/community/tutorials/pca-analysis-r
3. http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~madigan/W2025/notes/clustering.pdf
4. https://dpmartin42.github.io/posts/r/cluster-mixed-types
5. https://www.qogdata.pol.gu.se/data/qog_std_jan19.pdf

Mrs. Preston:

Maud Preston is a fictional character in the Greenwich Village, 1913 game written by Mary Jane Treacy. The character is based on two real people from the suffrage movement, Carrie Chapman Catt and Harriot Stanton Blatch (Treacy 9). Mrs. Preston shares the qualities and points of view of these real people.

Maud Preston’s viewpoints were obviously nurtured by her upbringing. Born in 1878, she was raised in Upstate New York by a family that had a large involvement in politics. Her father, a member of the New York State Assembly, encouraged her to form her own opinions on issues by playing political games with her at the dinner table that involved forming political campaigns. Her father was very open about discussing politics (Treacy 3). As a result, this nurturing caused Maud to show interest and have the confidence to discuss politics during a time when women were not usually involved in politics. She had the belief that women could handle involvement in politics and therefore was passionate about the cause of women’s suffrage.

Maud Preston received only a little bit of higher education. She was urged by her family to attend Smith College, an all-women’s college, instead of pursuing a degree from Cornell. This did not last long, as she left college to marry a military officer who died shortly after. Afterward, she became more involved in politics. She was a member of WPU, Woman’s Political Union, and NAWSA, National American Woman Suffrage Association (Treacy 3). She was a natural leader in these organizations and became dedicated to this cause.

Harriot Stanton Blatch

Daughter of famous suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriot Stanton Blatch is a woman who contributed greatly to the cause of women’s suffrage. Born in Seneca Falls, NY, the birthplace of the women’s suffrage movement, Blatch was likely introduced to the cause by her mother. In her political life, she was a member of numerous organizations, including NAWSA and the Woman’s Trade Union League. She also leads the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women, organizing parades and meetings. Blatch was able to see the results of her work after the victory in 1920 but remained active in women’s rights reform (‘Harriot Eaton Stanton Blatch’).

To earn the victory of suffrage, the suffragists had to come up with a plan to win. Different people in the cause had different opinions about how to approach this. NAWSA’s plan was to gain suffrage by going from state to state pushing for state suffrage. The constitutional amendment would come later and be much easier to achieve (‘NAWSA’).

Harriot Stanton Blatch

The tactics of NAWSA required some real action. The group collected dues and donations from those who supported their cause. With this funding, they were able to spread the word about their cause and push people to accept their demands. They did this by holding parades, pageants, and marches. They also held conventions in which many of the leaders gathered to give speeches and bolster their campaigns. The association was organized on local, state, and national levels. Local and national committees of the organization published articles in the newspapers all around the country. Events were held by every level of the organization. Although some chapters had different rules and opinions of tactics differed slightly, they all had the same goal (Lange, ‘Suffragists Unite’).

However, ‘[leaders of NAWSA] faced strategic challenges from younger recruits such as Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, who favored militant tactics and focused exclusively on a US constitutional amendment’ (Michals). These disagreements caused a split in the group. Alice Paul and other members who were more radical broke off and formed the National Women’s Party. Afterward, NAWSA was able to adopt a plan that secured the win (‘Woman Suffrage Timeline’). Maud Preston would have been more supportive of NAWSA leaders than Alice Paul and other radicals. Carrie Chapman Catt

Catt was an influential suffragist during the Women’s suffrage movement. She graduated as the only woman in her class at Iowa State Agricultural College and joined the suffrage movement in the 1880s. She joined NAWSA and spoke all over the country. She became president of NAWSA in 1900. She was also interested in women’s suffrage on an international level and formed the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, trying to give women around the globe a voice in democracy. She regained the presidency of NAWSA in 1915 and held the position through the passing of the 19th Amendment (Michals).

Carrie Chapman Catt

Unfortunately, the cause of women’s suffrage could not totally unite into one powerful group. There were differing opinions on how to go about suffrage and who should be involved. Nationally, NAWSA was very open to all. However, they did not prohibit state and local organizations from adopting some questionable policies. Some of the ‘conventions held in Southern cities like Atlanta (in 1895) and New Orleans (in 1903) were segregated. NAWSA also required black women to march separately during its 1913 parade in Washington, DC’ (Lange, ‘Suffragists Unite’). This division was detrimental to the group, but many of the women who allowed it to happen did not necessarily have bad intentions. They believed that they had to do what was necessary to gain the vote for women, even if it they had to exclude African Americans. However, some of the women, particularly southern elite women, were racist towards African Americans and did not like the idea of allowing black women to vote. The South had many problems involving race that the Women’s suffrage group could not tackle all at once, even though many were supporting equal rights for African Americans too. The group was pushing for women’s suffrage, and African-American suffrage was already guaranteed by the Constitution. Since an amendment allowing women to vote would be automatically inclusive of African Americans Important Dates

• 1848 – First Women’s Rights Convention
• 1870 – African Americans gain suffrage
• 1890 – Wyoming becomes first state to grant women’s suffrage
• 1913 – NAWSA organizes suffrage parade in Washinton, D.C.
• 1918 – Woodrow Wilson supports women’s suffrage
• 1919 – The Nineteenth Amendment passes the senate
• 1920 – The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, and women gained full voting rights

women, most of the exclusion of African Americans was just for showing and garnering the support of some groups, like the Southerners. It did highlight some big social issues in America during that time though.

Opposition:

For there to have been a discussion about whether women should be able to vote, there must have been opposition to women’s suffrage. Opposition was faced mostly by anti-suffragists. In the early years of the anti-suffragists, they were not very organized. However, they were so opposed to the idea of women’s suffrage that they formed a group in 1911 called NAOWS, National Association Opposed to Women’s Suffrage. To voice their opposition, they did many of the same things that NAWSA did, including distributing publications and holding events (Lange, ‘NAOWS’). One would think that the group would be primarily made up of men. However, there were many women who were opposed to suffrage, which gave the cause more credibility and hurt the cause of suffrage. Antis argued that ‘women did not have time to vote or stay updated on politics…. [Also,] women lacked the expertise or mental capacity to offer a useful opinion about political issues’ (Lange, ‘NAOWS’). It may seem strange that a woman would believe that she was not smart enough to contribute to politics, but this is simply a result of the times. Most women and men believed that they had their places in society and that a woman’s place was in the home taking care of the children. This belief was so ingrained into the culture of the time that many conservative people at the time could not imagine life any other way. They were afraid of change and did not see a need for women to vote, as the man of the family was supposed to be able to make the right decision and vote on behalf of the whole family. Fortunately, the opposition was not enough to stop the pro-suffrage groups.

The Win:

After winning voting rights in only 17 states and enduring many failures, women finally gained the right to vote. After being proposed in 1918, the amendment failed to pass the Senate. However, with the support of President Woodrow Wilson, the Senate passed the amendment in 1919. Then, it was smooth sailing as three-quarters of the states ratified the nineteenth amendment and it was added to the constitution on August 26, 1920 (‘Woman Suffrage Timeline’). Thanks to the many women who fought hard for the rights that they deserved, like those who resemble Maud Preston, the long fight for women’s suffrage was finally over.