05. 1941-69 - Women and work

Question 1

How was the Second World War similar to the First?

Answer 1

Women replaced men when they went off to fight

Question 2

How many women entered the work force between 1940 and 1945?

Answer 2

5 million

Question 3

Did married women also work during the War?

Answer 3

Yes

Question 4

How many women joined the armed services?

Answer 4

350,000

Question 5

How had women’s attitudes about work changed by c. 1945?

Answer 5

Unlike after WWI where most women accepted giving up their jobs, in 1945 around 75% of women wanted to remain in paid employment.

Question 6

What was the Lanham Act?

Answer 6

A law which provided federal funds for childcare

Question 7

When was the Lanham Act in place?

Answer 7

From 1942, although it was gradually withdrawn up to 1946.

By 1946, only 3 states continued for fund childcare.

Question 8

How were the attitudes of married women changed by the Second World War?

Answer 8

Many felt they had proven they could raise children – and work.

Question 9

In the immediate aftermath of the war, what happened to many women?

Answer 9

They were laid off – and their jobs given to men

Question 10

What role did the media play in the post-war years?

Answer 10

They aimed to reinforce the idea of a ‘woman’s place’ being in the home

Question 11

What was Dr Benjamin Spock’s famous 1946 book?

Answer 11

Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care

Question 12

What did Dr Spock’s book empahsise?

Answer 12

The importance of mothers being at home

Question 13

How many copies of Dr Spock’s book (Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care) were sold?

Answer 13

23 million over the next 30 years

Question 14

How did the divorce rate change between 1940 and 1946?

Answer 14

It rose from 10.2 to 18.2

Question 15

What was the ‘G.I. Bill’?

Answer 15

It established the right and funding for ex-servicemen to go to college

Question 16

What was the impact of the G.I. Bill?

Answer 16

There was a huge increase in the numbers of men going to college (university).

The University of Indiana, for instance, increased its enrolment from 4,500 students to 10,300

Question 17

What was the knock-on impact of more men going to college (university)?

Answer 17

More men entered professional positions – which squeezed out women.

In the post-war years, the number of men in these occupations increased by 40%; the number of women remained roughly the same.

Question 18

How did the numbers of women in work change between 1940 and 1960?

Answer 18

The number doubled

Question 19

What percentage of women were working by 1960?

Answer 19

40% (30% of women workers were married)

Question 20

How had the number of working mothers changed between 1940 and 1960?

Answer 20

A huge increase

1940: 1.5m
1960: 6.6m

Question 21

What other working trends were evident in the 1960s?

Answer 21

• well-educated wives were entering the workforce, suggesting the the idea of a second income was acceptable
• the tendency of women over 35 to work suggested that women were re-entering the work force after their maternal duties contracted

Question 22

What broader economic trends were evident in the 1950s and 1960s?

Answer 22

The service industry overtook manufacturing in terms of generating the majority of national income. The services sector was more reliant on female labour (partly because it was cheaper and expanded profit margins).

Question 23

What was the significance of Russia’s successful launch of Sputnik in 1957?

Answer 23

It made America realise it needed to harness all its talents to win the Space Race

Question 24

What happened to marriage trends during the 1950s?

Answer 24

Marriage rates hit an all time high.

(The birth rate also increased.)

Question 25

What key attitude changed amongst more affluent families by the late 1960s?

Answer 25

Two incomes were better than one for providing a good life

Question 26

What did surveys of children in better-off families with working mothers reveal?

Answer 26

Children with working parents were generally more confident, and daughters tended to admire their mothers more.

Girls also grew up with higher aspirations for themselves.

Question 27

Was the 1960s a turning point?

Answer 27

Arguably yes in terms of attitudes towards the position and role of women in American society.