Australian Women's Role In World War II

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Prior to World War II, opportunities for women were very limited. Women were commonly housewives while men were held jobs or positions of power. It wasn’t until a little prior to federation where women started to gain political power. Slowly, states started to grant Australian women (excluding Aboriginal women) the right to vote. By 1901, Australian women were given the right to vote for the Commonwealth Parliament. As World War I came shortly after, women were able to become more involved as men were sent off to war. However, women were only able to fill in traditional roles, rather the roles that were considered “manly”. It wasn’t until Australia’s involvement in World War II where women were more active in terms of employment and sexuality.…show more content…
Initially, there was concern about women joining the work force due to their perceived lack of capabilities and experience; however, women were needed. Women were able to quickly proved society wrong as they were just as worthy as men, filling in jobs within a short period of time. Women were able to earn a source of income for their families, even if they were doing to same job but it was not paid equivalent to men’s wages. Because men and women could fill the same jobs, it would no longer just be called a “man’s” job. It wasn’t until 1940 where women started to become more involved in war, as various organizations promoted warfront opportunities for women. Women's Australian National Service was established to provide assistance and training to the home front. Members of the Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) were given military duties, which allowed men to become more involved with war. The Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service had nurses who were taking care of wounded soldiers. Although these are just a few of the many organizations that greatly involved women in war, this reflected patriotism upon women and the desire to help soldiers during times in need. Even something as filling in a job that was previously held by a soldier helps contribute back to Australia. However, the question of whether women would be able to maintain their…show more content…
With Australia struggling to defend themselves from the Japanese, Australia turned to America for assistance. As a result, American soldiers arrived to Australia to provide their support. Because Australian men are away, this provided opportunities for women to experience greater sexual and “exotic” freedom with American men. With women swooned by foreign troops, this creates sexual desire among the female population. This was too much of the Australian soldiers and society’s dislike. Because the American soldiers were in Australia to assist them from them from the Japanese, it was unfavorable to cause rough tensions between the 2 groups. Women, who were in relationships with American soldiers, created unintentional backlash due to their courtship among Australian

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