Gender and The War

Gender and the War

During WWI gender roles of citizens were depicted through many different types of media, including posters, postcards, and other types of propaganda. Women were depicted as support for the men on the home front. This included raising children and taking care of the mother country while the men were gone. Also, the women were shown that they were supposed to be working in the different factories, in order to support their men in the war. The Red Cross, a mobile medical relief station for wounded soldiers, was also another front where women could help in the war effort. Men were also depicted in these posters and postcards, and they were shown how they should be acting during the war. Men were shown that all men should enlist in the army “until the enemy is crushed.” Also, men were shown that they were not supposed to be slackers, and that even though their place may not lie on the front lines they still should be doing all they can to assist the men who are on the front lines. Men were also shown pictures of decorated war heroes, showing them that by fighting in the army one could achieve great respect from the public. These posters showed that the role of a woman was to provide support for the men in whatever way they could she could, while a man was supposed to be fighting valiantly for his country during a war.

Women in World War I were a vital part towards the War effort and were a main reason for the victory of the Allied Powers. Women provided a source of workers that was not present before, which boosted economy and helped the Allied Powers in their Arms race. Women worked in munitions factories and other jobs to support the soldiers. Women made clothes for soldiers and were a source of work that was absent because of the recently drafted men that were now out of the country. They could also be soldiers themselves. The Royal Air Force drafted Women to work as pilots because pilots did not necessary need the physical qualifications that men possessed. In World War I, women were a fantastic support system to men and each other to help the War as much as they could.

Women workers during the early nineteenth century dramatically increased to due to economic needs that preparation for War and the War itself demanded. As an arms race was going on between the two opposing forces, the Allied incorporated the use of women to help boost their stock of various supplies.[i] Public posters and other types of mass media were used to hook women into the workforce. Media sought to gain a women workforce through glamorizing jobs and showing how this was the right thing to do for the country.

Women were not just restricted to domestic and agricultural work. Women were fully involved in directly supporting the War. Women were now working in munitions factories and posters were put up to advertise the benefits of these types of jobs. Again, Patriotism was a main way of hooking women into the jobs.

Women were turning into a powerful commodity and were now becoming a powerful force that could really change the fate of the War. Women workers provided men with the things they needed in order to be successful in War, however the women back home were also helping out their fellow women soldiers.

Women soldiers were another force that helped the War. Women soldiers were drafted into several divisions of the United States military and where successful in all of them. Women were especially successful in the Air Force because of the fact that the air force did not demand the physical qualifications that most women did not possess at the time. The Women’s Royal Air Force was a very successful was a great way for women to get involved in the War effort.

Women were also involved in the United States Navy; working as nurses or telegraph workers oversees.[ii] Women had been transformed into a great support force because they could work in many jobs, showing versatility in a time of great need.

Some Russian Women were known as the greatest soldiers of their Army. The “Battalion of Death”[iii] was a section lead by Maria Botchkareva, a peasant soldier who had become listed as a regular troop; she save hundreds of lives on the front with her comrades, earning her the respect of other men. She was wounded several times, but always returned. She was a symbol for women’s bravery during the war. Women had been transformed from viewed as a domestic and feminine force to a gritty and battle ready force.

Women also provided a different kind of role during the War. Some women did not want to enlist as soldiers but wanted to help on the enemy fronts. These occupations included Nurses and telegraph operators. Nurses at the front line would help wounded soldiers on the battle field and would also carry them back to the safety of the hospitals far from enemy lines. Telegraph workers would operate machines for the men on the front and would transmit messages that were crucial for battle positioning. Perhaps the most important contribution in this effort was the Red Cross.

Women who were involved in this were highly respected because they gave soldiers, food, water and care. The Red Cross was known as “The Greatest Mother in the World”[iv] This symbol of the Red Cross was a symbol of safety which was a further manifestation of traditional women views. The Red Cross was perhaps the biggest contribution of women towards the War because of its effect still felt today in the modern military.

Throughout WWI, men and women were separately sought to provide benefits, support, and aggressiveness. Men were drafted in large numbers, as the overall aspect of manliness immensely rose during the war. Manliness developed as being able to serve the war effort and being fit, robust, and courageous. At the time of WWI, men were seen as becoming war heroes, having the duty of protecting the country and being courageous.

Manliness was heavily idolized and remained very important throughout the course of WWI. Men were seen as a higher standard and above women in the war effort, in that they were summoned to serve their country in the armed forces. The above picture shows a popular poster depicting the call of all able men to serve in war. As much as women were heavily needed to supply food and nursing for the war effort, men were also in high demand because of their strong bodies and aggressiveness that would perfectly fit in with the fighting against their enemies. By enlisting in the army, a man was also looked upon as a hero and a patriot by their country. Propaganda, an example of which is this poster, filled the streets during the war and was the primary motivation for men to serve in the armed force.

In addition to the acquiring of men and women during the war, people were also upheld to certain standards; the armed forces needed to make sure citizens were taking it as seriously as the army was. Although a man or women may have thought their place was not on the front lines, they were still expected to do whatever they could for the war. “We are in low spirits. After we have been in the dug-outs two hours our own shells begin to fall in the trench. This is the third time in four weeks.”[v] Men who were called into the war effort were asked of a great deed and required all the support from friends and family as well as the entire country. Both men and women were given the opportunity to protect and serve their country; if they didn’t perform up to the exalted expectations or did not wish to support their fellow citizens, people were seen as freeloaders and cowards.

There was no doubt to any soldier, during the war, that fighting for one’s country would bring eternal pride and praise to him and his family. A highly decorated general, as shown in the above poster, illustrated to every citizen of his or her courageous soldiers that were defending the country. In retrospect, Colonel Himmelstoss, in All Quiet on the Western Front, is a perfect example of a highly apraised man who sacrificed his life to protect the country that he loved. Because of his dedication and excellence during the time of the war, Colonel Himmelstoss was noted as a great leader who pushed his commrades to succeed and to never back down from the enemy. This colonel relates to the man in the poster, in that they both did a great deal in fully subscribing themselves to the services of the nation. Because of their effort, they made a considerable impact on their peers as well as the country’s security.

Men and women, while both playing different roles during the war, were both extremely vital in the victory for the Allies. These posters, and other forms of mass media, showed that the role of a woman was to provide support for the men in whatever way they could she could, while a man was supposed to be fighting valiantly for his country during a war. Men were shown posters that encouraged all men to join army. Also, men were shown different images of well respected and highly decorated war heroes. These showed the men something that they could aspire to be when they joined the military. In addition, men were shown that they were supposed to do whatever they could do to support the war, men who were seen as slackers were not treated well during war time, and even if you felt you were not supposed to be on the front lines, you were to do whatever you could to support the war effort. Women were mainly uses as a support system; however they were also used as troops in special cases, such as the Royal Air Force. Women were also used as troops in cases such as the Royal Air Force because pilots didn’t need the physical qualifications that foot soldiers needed. The Red Cross was another front in which women could help in the war. This allowed women to be helping the men on the front line by providing them with medical relief. Also, women were used in factories to make up for the labor lost by men being drafted into the war. The women during became the main support system for the men fighting on the front lines, and in some cases became soldiers themselves.

By Sawyer Rice, Mike Innocenzi, and Garrett Hamm

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[i] Spielvogel, Jackson. Western Civilization (California: Thompson Wadworth, 2006) p. 770

[ii] Goldstein, Joshua. The Women of World War 1 – War and Gender: How Gender Shaped the War System (Cambridge University Press, 2001) http://www.warandgender.com/wgwomwwi.htm

[iii] Goldstein

[iv] Goldstein

[v] Remarque, Erich. P. 100