Dear Diary,
The war has ended. Days of chaos and hell have already ended. However, it left many symbols of is cruelty. Many people lost their jobs. Many have lost their properties. Many have lost their loved ones. Children, little angelic children, have been traumatized. Men have been forced to leave their families and join the army. Unfortunately, not all of them were able to come home alive. This by far, is the most excruciatingly painful moment of my life. My children, my poor little angels. What did they do to deserve such an awful and painful experience? How are we supposed to live now?
The past days have been nothing but an atmosphere of hate, violence, fear, courage, and love. I wanted to go to a corner and just cry, but knowing that my children rely on me for strength and hope, I had to endure everything. For the past nights, when I am not able to sleep no matter what I do, I’d just think about the things a simple housewife like me could do in times like these. But then, another question would immediately pop into my mind. Is there even anything that I can do? I’m not a doctor nor a nurse, that’s why I can’t possibly take care of injured people. I’m not skilled at holding any fire arm or weapon, that’s why I can’t possibly do anything to defend my countrymen.
I’m running out of thoughts, and it’s hard for me to think even more. All I can’t think of right now, is my family. Now that this is all over, what have I learned from it? More so, is there something that can be learned from this? No that this is over, how shall we live our lives now? Can our lives still go back to normal? This is painful, for this will be engraved not only in the memories, but most especially, in the hearts of people. This is not just some story that needs to be told. This is history that should be passed on.
Introduction
The second World War is an event that will forever be part of every country’s culture and history. The experiences that people who lived during those times will always be a story worth telling to this world’s future generations. In this case, a stay-at-home mother narrated her experience and sentiments after the war.
Body
Even before the World War, most stay-at-home mothers are looked down upon by other people. The society looks at women, in general, as weak ones who needs to be protected. The society has created a culture of gender inequality in a lot of ways one could ever imagine. This proves the existence and worsening of how women are still forced to ask as submissive to their husbands. The post-WWII clearly creates an image of a society that looks down on women, and this is also the very reason why people should not accept and adapt these expectations.
During the post-WWII era, women were not being given chances the same chance as to that of men. The opportunities that were open to women were far less than men. After the war, though there had been opportunities for employment for women, these opportunities were nowhere near as good. Women in the work force experienced “segregation”, by which they were isolated, or segregated from the male employees (Milkman, 1987). Because of this, women become more active in campaigning for their rights through labor unions, and through several campaigns or women empowerment (Golden, 2015).
Conclusion
Up until today, women still experience some sort of “segregation” from the males. Though one can say that women nowadays are far more empowered, the social stigma and stereotype that the society has been associated with women, has always been present and is even evolving through time. This is one of the problems about culture. Through communication, people produce and reproduce culture. However, even the cultures of sexism and hate are also being reproduced through time. This is what the women of today are battling with.
The experiences of women during the immediate post-WWII and the 21st century are not very different from each other. Their battles are still the same, however, these battles are in different forms now. As the world becomes more complex, so does the problems and challenges it experiences. This is something the 21st century woman should deal with, and something the post-WWII woman should help with.
Reference
Golden, J. (2015, September 7). Rebellious Women: Heroines of the Labor Movement. Retrieved September 3, 2016, from http://womensvoicesforchange.org/tag/rosie-the-riveter
Milkman, R. (n.d.). The Dynamics of Job Segregation by Sex During World War II [Google books]. Retrieved September 3, 2016, from https://books.google.com.ph/books?hl=en&lr=&id=YG73lYsDFs8C&oi=fnd&pg=PR13&dq=gender segregation ww2&ots=klIwQWxxkY&sig=PwUML7FAeI2auINIJcGjbksq5G4&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=gender segregation ww2&f=false
Tyler May, E. (n.d.). Women and Work. Retrieved September 3, 2016, from http://kcts9.org/sites/default/files/unit5_readings_womenandworkafterwwii.pdf
