What insights do the Lange's and the stories by actual women who lived during the Depression give you about women's lives and roles in the Great Depression?
Answer. The insights given by Lange’s pictures and other stories from women who lived during the era of great depression explain the plight of women when they were not able to comply with the sudden loss of their jobs and source of income (Pehlan,"The Story of the Migrant Mother"). The great depression eroded the business and associated employment with them but the women were not only victimized of the economic losses but faced the social inequalities against men in managing their children as well. The women were equally potent as the men to survive through the era of the economic crunch and continued their efforts in this regard.
We know that Florence Thompson was later unhappy about becoming the face of the "migrant mother," why do you suppose Thompson and the other women cooperated with Lange?
Answer. Women like Florence Thompson and others were not initially happy for becoming the face of Lange’s pictures because they were not willing to express their state of poverty and make it a moment of embarrassment for their family members later on. However, they still cooperated with Lange because she convinced them that the photograph will educate others regarding the plight of poor working people like her (Pehlan,"The Story of the Migrant Mother").
How did World War II impact or change women's roles?
Answer. The world war II was an era with immense man force requirement for military and most of the males were asked to join the armed forces during the period. Hence, the women came to the professional front to manage the work of their men for running the household. Owing to rapid shortfalls in the headcount for the war, even the women served some adjutant roles in the army and helped their countries to fight and win their war.
What limits were there on women’s work during the war?
Answer. The women occupied almost all the roles of men during the world war and even joined the army for filling the assisting functions during the war. However, the only limitation posed on the extent to which women were allowed to work was in the case of letting them fight in the war. The women’s role was limited by not allowing them to fight in the war along with the males.
How did Race and Class impact women’s roles during the war?
Answer. Although the participation of women in the mainstream struggle was highlighted during the war as they joined professional regimes and even military for performing the auxiliary functions, the racial minorities and imperial subjects were not furnished with their full political rights during the war in countries like the United States. Apart from this, even for resident Americans, the political leadership of the women was also not raised to the front during the war.
How might the Rosie's have responded to the U.S. Women's Bureau Report?
Answer. The U.S. Women's Bureau Report focused on the lack of proper care for the children of women workers who were not granted primary care from the companies that employed their mother (like General Electricals). The report stated that only 1 out of 10 working women had adequate childcare facilities for their children. In this context, advertisement concerning ‘Rosie the Rivetier’ might have responded by dramatically criticizing the industries for not paying attention to the childcare facilties for those brave women who sacrificed their household responsibilities for the sake of their nation.
How did the experiences of the WASPS compare to that of women in the other services During World War II? Why do you think they weren't granted military status?
Answer.WASPS, the Women Airforce Service pilots were admitted into the special airforce training program in 1942 owing to the rising shortfall in number of trained pilots (Stamberg,"Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls"). The experience of WASPS in their job profile was way ahead of their other women counterparts because they performed extremely well and outperformed their male counterparts on most of the occasion. The WASPS were not granted a military status until 1970 because the program was shut down after 2 years of its commencement (Stamberg,"Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls").
Works Cited
Pehlan, Ben. "The Story of the Migrant Mother". 2014. Web. April, 21.2016.
Stamberg, Susan. "Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls". 2010. Web. April, 21.2016.
