How Feminism Changed After the Industrial Revolution
War has always affected women, even though combat itself was normally not a part of the female experience. After the Industrial Revolution, the lives of women were increasingly altered in the presence of war. The Industrial Revolution changed the ways women worked and also changed the gender roles in the home. Post-Industrial Revolution wars involved women's voices and women's work far more than pre-Industrial Revolution wars. Early female experiences with wars showed that women served as helpers rather than as front-line fighters. Thus, women's roles within the military were overshadowed by their male counterparts. Women also continued to play into overall gender stereotypes and social norms. For example, the Spanish Civil War in 1898 saw the presence of hundreds of female military nurses. While this showed that women were becoming increasingly viable citizens in pre-suffrage United States,
The presence of women in the military increased again during World War Two, but women continued to mainly be involved in nursing and therapy positions rather than combat. However, women were being formally trained as officers during the First and Second World Wars and series of congressional bills were put forth to encourage more female support for American troops in the war cause. Many uniformed women served in North Africa during World War Two, which greatly affected the lives of all American women. Women who were not directly involved in combat normally had husbands who were. In their husband's absence, women were encouraged to work. The proliferation of women's work dramatically altered the American female experience. However, the social progress made during the 1940s was about to take a step backwards when the men returned from combat and the baby booming began.
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