Blog#12
1. According to the article, the work opportunities for women during World War II are not limited because of gender. Women make up about 87% of the Martin workforce and the numbers of women in the workforce is expected to rise when the war continues. The women may be limited because of experience, but as soon as they master a task they are set on a new and more difficult job, so they are always learning. Just as these women working for Martin are expected to work a man’s job, with all of the long hours and hard work, they are also paid the same as men and have the opportunity for advancement and raises and their gender doesn’t hinder that.
2. The audience for this article is women. Since the article was written for Ladies Home Journal, I can assume it was written for young to middle-aged women who have typically stayed home in the past. While many of the women who had been housewives are now in the workforce to keep the war going, this article represents the women workers as well as it paint’s the picture of the newly changed lives for girls no longer at home. It also shows the women not in the workforce how women have taken strides to participate in the war and tells of the daily struggles these young women go through.
3. I don’t think the women mind their work during World War II. They feel as if they are crucial to the war development, and war outcome, and they absolutely are. Even though they are living in less than desirable living conditions, they seem to be taken care of enough to enjoy themselves. While some girls paint their nails, others enjoy the afternoons after work though they should probably be sleeping. They work together by trying to be considerate of roommates and don’t complain too much about working. In fact, they only joke about some of the difficulties and leave it at that. Knowing that they are a part of the war effort, and that these jobs have to be done, keep the women going with a positive outlook.
4. Even though the article says that these women will do men’s work, work men’s hours, receive men’s pay and be treated as men, they still retain their femininity. They keep the social and comradely aspect of women’s inner circles by continuing to do normal things, like hang out in the apartment together, cook, and dance. Some of the girls keep their nails painted even tough they know they will get roughed up at work. There is also still a softness, or gentleness exuded by these women. They are optimistic and lighthearted as they joke about the job and what it does to their hands but they also have big dreams for the future and show their strength in terms of the reality of the war.
5. When the war is over, many women will go back home, and go back to being a housewife. Some will get married and become housewives and many will most likely continue to work in the workforce. The article doesn’t state what exactly will happen to the jobs, or the women who work them, but it implies that most women will leave the workforce to carry on duties that were previous to the war. Even the women themselves admit that when the war is over they’ll “probably go home again and wash dishes”. Some though, talk of their dreams to stay in the workforce and aircraft production.
2 comments:
Sharmagh D -Response #1:
Hi Rachel,
You did a very well job analyzing each question for blog #12. After reading your blog, I noticed you and I had very similar answers. One question however was a little different. For the question that asks, "Who was the audience of this article", you answered women. I completely agree with your answer. Women were the main audience because it was aimed mainly for them. Though, I also included men in my answer for my blog. I explained that men were also the audience of this article because they got to read this and this article reassured them that women were not going to all stay in the work area after the war. As we read, men were a little worried about their jobs for when they would returned home because all the women were also working and doing the same jobs as them. They worried they would not have jobs and it would be difficult for them to find jobs. This let them know that for most of the women working, this was a temporary job just to help out in the war. I just wanted to add that in and thought maybe you would like to think of it in a different perspective. Again, great job on your blog. See you tomorrow.
Tyler R #2 to Sharmagh
Hi Sharmagh. I wanted to add my opinion to yours and Rachel's thoughts. I agree with both of you when Rachel says the audience for the article was for women and when you say it was for men. In my response I believe I only answered men, but when I first started reading I thought it was for women. The article gives a honest and detailed description of work life for females, but it makes the work seem like a wonderful experience for women. Almost like it's trying to grab the attention of non working females and get them to join as well. But as I continued reading I saw that it was to ensure men that they'd get their jobs back as well. Not many men were working in the factories and assembly lines during the war, but they knew that once they came back that they would need jobs. Knowing that the women took their places was probably problematic for them because they were scared of losing their positions to women. So I can see both answers being correct from any perspective. Thanks for you post.
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