How useful are useful sources 1-8 in showing similarities and the differences in the motivations and experiences of women in both world wars?

Investigation question 1

Source1 is a primary source showing women in a coal depot lifting a sack onto a carriers back this sort of work women were not used to doing or expected to do. Women were expected to stay at home and look after their husbands. Evan though this job was not dangerous but it was physical and labor work and men were expected to do it. An image would like this would appear in national newspapers so nearly everyone would have seen it. The picture would prove to men that women could do jobs that required physical power, so other women would have been motivated and gained confidence by looking at this by the source. Also at the time the job would have been very important as coal was the main source of fuel during World War 1. Women were capable of doing the jobs men were doing however they did not get the same pay as men did also women did not get jobs of management, this shows limited change.

Source2 is primary source. it is a report which was published by the government in 1943, this report was available to newspapers and the public, the report was called women at work. The source is telling us that women working at the factory were enjoying their job they were taking less day off and there was no sign of fatigue. The women at the factory only worked from 8a.m till 5p.m. The waiting list for a job like this would go up to 300 women. This shows women were motivated for work as they were looking for jobs. This source is very useful as it tells us that women wanted to work. Relating this source back to the question it shows motivation and that woman were looking for jobs and owners of businesses were employing them.

Source3 is a primary source, which is a photo of women of the auxiliary territorial service operating torchlight. This job would have been extremely dangerous, as the women would be showing the light so the British soldiers could look out for German airplanes. This source shows that women could handle dangerous jobs that would put these women’s life at a huge risk. Women who took up these jobs would have been highly motivated ass they would of felt as they were helping there country. These jobs paid very high wages and need skill to do the job properly this would have meant that only upper and middle class women would have been given the job. As much dangerous this job was it also was a very important job as much of world war 2 was fought in the air so helping spot German planes would of helped allot to the soldiers and reduced the risk of Britain getting bombed. Women who did jobs such as these would have motivated other women to go on and get jobs.

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Source4 is a primary source, it is an image taken in 1918. It is an advertisement for the women’s (W.R.A.F) women’s royal air force; the picture shows a woman leaning against a sign which has all possible W.R.A.F. jobs written on it. The picture is trying getting a message across. They wanted women to apply for these types of jobs, as they were short of men who would work in the armed forces. Evan though women were working with the army they were only given jobs in domestic areas but not in the armed forces. Women were needed in important places such as the W.R.A.F. women were working hard during the war and had important and dangerous jobs as you can see in sources 1 and 2. This picture would have been put up in newspapers. This source has a message of motivating women and encouraging them to join the women’s royal air force.

Source5 is a primary source. It shows women serving as bus conductors in the First World War. Jobs such as these wouldn’t have been dangerous and wouldn’t have required any labor work. Working conditions would have also been good and the women would have been enjoying themselves as we can see from the expression on their face. These women are wearing uniforms which gives the women a higher status, it also shows that the women were part of a team as their would have been other women wearing the same uniform similar to the women in soucer4. This is a useful source as it shows us the situation of women during the war; the women are relaxed and enjoying themselves even though there is a war going on. With the women there is a male worker who is supervising the women, this shows that there was inequality between men and women. Men were worried wages would go down as women were paid less during this time period. This is why women were given the more important jobs in this area such as driving a bus or a managerial post. Also men didn’t think men could handle these more important jobs. This source would have been made public; the purpose of this source would have been to motivate women. The women in the source are happy so message being sent out is that by getting a job similar to this one is that you could also be happy.

Source6 is a primary source. It is a picture showing a nurse and a female rescuer worker clambering through rubble after a V-2 rocket landed in Farringdon market in London on March 1945. The V-2 rocket was one of the most destructive weapons used during World War2 because of its high speed. The job being carried out by these women would have been dangerous and extremely important. Dangerous as there would have been the risk of another V-2 rocket being dropped by Britain’s enemy. It would have been extremely important as they would be saving lives of civilians. Other women who would have seen this picture would have been highly motivated. This source is very useful as it shows us how far women had come; because of there important job.

Source7 is primary source. It is a poster which is asking women to join the land army. The message on the poster say “we could do with thousands more like you”, the poster is encouraging women to join the land army. The women in the picture are happy so the message being sent out is that if you join the women’s land army you will also be happy. Men were not happy with women working on there farms they thought women were not capable of working on farms. Only 48,000 women were employed on the farm out of the possible 260,000, less than ¼ of possible vacancies were filled. The point of this source was to encourage women to work on farms.

Source8 is a primary source. It is a photograph of Queen Elizabeth and King George V1 visiting a tube shelter on November 1940. Tube stations were turned into bomb shelters. Tube shelters would have boosted morale as they would have given civilians hope of living. This source would have been made public to boost morale. Morale would have been boosted as the king and queen of England to very important people were visiting the people. Evan when time were hard people in Britain still stood a chance of surviving this would have boosted morale allot

Source1 is a primary source, which tells us about a woman who was offered her job back when World War 2 broke out. She had the job during World War 1 but lost the job when men returned home from World War 1. The source shows continuity but there is short-term change as women were offered jobs however they lost them when the men came back. This source is very useful as it tells us the change for women was only short term and attitudes towards them changed as soon as men came back. Women were only needed when it suited the government and they were got rid of when they were not needed, also the source is reliable as it is a primary source and the women is talking about her very own experiences.

Source2 shows flappers smoking in a public place. Flappers were women who rebelled against boundaries that they had faced. The flappers were middle and upper class women as they had the money to spend on going out and having fun. The women are ignoring a sign, which says, “Ladies, please do no smoke”. The flappers are not trying to get appoint across but are simply just being rebellious as their attitude towards them selves has changed. This is a very limited change as it is only attitudes of women towards them self and political equality that has changed and not social, economical or legal equality that has changed. Relating the source back to the question it shows change as the attitudes of women towards them self changed.

Source3 is an image of a young girl from Southampton driving a bread delivery van. The girl very much enjoyed the job and was upset when she had to give the job up. We know this as the girl quotes “I cried when I had to come of the bread round” however she accepted the consequences of losing her job as men were coming back from the war. This also shows that there is inequality between men and women, men were considered greater, more intelligent then women.

Source 3

Source 3 is a primary source showing a girl with a pony and a cart. The source tells us that the girl drove a bread delivery van throughout the war. The young girl tells us that there was continuity as she lost her job once the war had ended. Similar to source 1 men took the jobs back. This shows that the society was male dominant. However; there was some change as women got the vote due to the fact that the suffarage union pressurised the government. This source is very useful as it shows more continuity than change. The purpose of this source is to inform people how women were still dependant on men.

Source 4

Source 4 is a letter written by Mrs H A Felsted. This is a secondary source as it was written after the event. Mrs H A Felsted tells us that she hated her job in the domestic service. Conscription gave her the opportunity to leave the domestic service. She then worked in a ammunition factory; where she worked shorter hours and got paid £5 a week; which is a huge difference to what she was paid in the domestic service. She was willing to work in dangerous areas for the money. The purpose of this source is inform people that there was a change during the war.

Source 5

Source 5 is a article from the popular newspaper Morning Post. The source gives us information on unemployment benefit to ex-munitions workers in Sheffield. The source tells us that three hundred women refused to accept work in domestic service. Therefore; government suspended them from all benefits. The government were dictating women to work in domestic services. In 1914 the Defence Of The Realm Act was enforced. DORA was a law that did not allow newspapers to criticise the war. The purpose of this source is to show that the government were forcing women to work in domestic services.

Source 6

Source 6 is a advert showing how the dinner Mrs peeks can solve problems. The source indicates to us that there were problems between husbands and wives when both of them were working. This was dealt with by women; by buying Mrs Peeks puddings. Mrs Peeks puddings was a readymade dinner in a tin. This was useful and time consuming for women as they could work and make dinner for their husbands. This shows how much women wanted to help their country in the war effort. Men expected women to stay at home. However; women had a different point of view as they were patriotic and insisted to work. This source is useful as it shows that women were patriotic and also shows that they were looking for different methods of helping them to stay at work. The purpose of this source is to show that women wanted to stay at work and cook for their husbands.