Manhattan Project Research Paper

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The Women of the Manhattan Project Today, women are viewed as equals to men in their abilities in the workforce, sciences, and military. Unfortunately, the same could not be said during World War II. It took many brave women who were willing to endure discrimination and use their knowledge and abilities in a work force dominated by men to change the future for women. The Manhattan Project was an important part of the validation of women as valuable assets in the workforce and in the scientific community. The amazing and intelligent women who were a part of the project helped shape the future. Not only did they play a part in changing the future of warfare and energy, but they also showed their value within the scientific community and workforce, opening doors for future female scientists and workers. During the 1940’s, women were generally seen as home keepers and mothers above all else. Women in the workforce were considered taboo. Women going into science as a career field was discouraged and very uncommon. Anne McKusick, a physicist at Oak Ridge, said, “I remember somebody saying to me once, “You consider that you’re a girl who happens to be a physicist, or a physicist who happens to be a girl?” It was just that women weren’t thought to be…show more content…
As more and more of their husbands and sons were deployed, the women began to sufficiently take charge of the men’s previous jobs. Defying gender roles and proving themselves capable in the work field would affect generations all the way to modern day. In addition to running their households, they were doing volunteer work for the war effort and were quickly acquiring the skills needed to do “men’s jobs”, like repairing the cars. They learned how to balance running a family, taking care of the finances, having a job, and learning new necessary skills. Many women even began work as part of the army as clerks, technicians, and drivers among other

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