WWI+Women+and+the+Homefront

__** Women and the Homefront **__ By Melanie Hartmann and Brittani Piro As men went off to fight in World War I, women at home were being exposed to a wider range of occupations. Many had the opportunity to take over for the men that were no longer eligible to work these jobs. Women worked as nurses, with basic medical training. They also had the job of working on the farms and keeping them going. Since men were not around to work in factories, women began to fill these jobs. There was also a very high demand for stenographers, telephone operators, telegraphers, book-keepers and cashiers. [|Womens' Roles Video] -Yes and no. Before the war, men occupied most of the higher-paying jobs. Since no one was around to work these jobs when men went to war, women were given the opportunity to take over and make money. Unfortunately, though, they were paid lower wages than men, which angered many women.
 * Were women content with the jobs they were given during WW1?

-Women, throughout the war, tried to recieve their equal rights. Women, like Carrie Chapman Catt, joined the National American Women Suffrage Association to join up with other women to fight for their rights. Most women joined unions and associations to gather together to fight. One woman, that was most known for trying to obtain rights, was Alice Paul. She started hunger strikes and made sure that it was known to others that women needed their rights. Some women like Mary Allen were so into getting their rights known that she ended up in jail for wanting to fight.
 * Did women take any action in recieving equal rights?

-Yes, women made leagues and unions to try and show men that they were able to fight. They filled the mens jobs and made sure that all tasks were completed to keep the flow going.
 * Did women try to fight in the war?

-Besides working men's jobs, women often volunteered for the Red Cross. Many knit and sewed in their own homes to make pajamas, socks and dressing gowns for patients.
 * What did women do to keep busy while their husbands were in the war?



[|Rosie the Riveter Song] -Some other important women in WWI were Chrystal Macmillan, Lady Humphrey Mackworth (Margaret Haig Thomas), and Mary Macarthur. Chrystal Macmillan served as an executive in of the National Union of Womens' Suffrage Society. Margaret Thomas was on the Luisitania when it happened and later on she became the Minister of Food, and was given the title of "Lord Rhondda". Mary Macarthur came up with a monthly magazine //Women Worker,// which enabled women to express how they felt taking over men's jobs. She also became the Secretary of Women's Trade Union League.
 * Who were some other important women in WWI and what did they do?

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">-In addition to being exposed to more job opportunities, women were also becoming less inferior to men. When the war was over, women were granted the right to vote after fighting for so long. This was a milestone in womens' suffrage history because it was the beginning of equality for women.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">How did the war change women on the homefront?

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">**__Bibliography__**
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