Women WWI and WWII

Question 1

What did evacuation mean for mothers?

Answer 1

Could cause loneliness - Sonya O. Rose
For some, there was a double burden if their husbands were young enough to be called for service and their children old enough to be evacuated

Question 2

How did evacuation provide comfort?

Answer 2

Because it provided mothers with peace of mind their children were safe

Question 3

What is the Double Burden?

Answer 3

In WWII, financial pressure or moral standards meant that many women had to have a job whilst caring for and maintaining the household. Their priority was always the household but financial woes could not be ignored. However, there were insufficient day nursery places and some women did not want to leave their children with neighbours and so chose to battle the woes. 80% of London women agreed they did not want to leave their children in the care of neighbours

Question 4

“The process of involving people…”

Answer 4

“…in the war effort was gendered”
As in WWI
Sonya O. Rose

Question 5

What censure were women and girls subject to in WWII?

Answer 5

To censure for lacking “good citizenship” if they were perceived to be sexually immoral - ironically some of the duties required them to be so

Question 6

What happened in April 1941?

Answer 6

Initially volunteer basis, the Government decided women to be directed into war work by conscription if necessary

Question 7

What happened December 1941?

Answer 7

Parliament authorized the call up of women aged 20-30 to service in the military or in industry

Question 8

After 1943, at what age did women have to register?

Answer 8

After 1943, women aged 45-50 had to register

Question 9

What does Penny Summerfield argue? What is evidence of this?

Answer 9

That class determined how you participated in the war effort
VADs - Voluntary Aid Detachments, some 4000 middle and upper-class women who volunteered to do basic nursing and other duties for the Armed forces, giving them exemption from less desirable war work, such as munitions manufacturing
Proposals to merge them with the predominantly working-class ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) caused uproar.

Question 10

How did hours differ for women in WWII?

Answer 10

Women supposed to have shorter hours of civil work but voluntarily competed the same as men but still received a lower weekly wage.