World War II changed the lives of so many people in various ways. However, the effects varied from one country to another. In the United States, World War II created new opportunities. The war also came with new experiences for the American people and created employment opportunities for both women and minority groups in the United States. Americans, for example, got an opportunity to travel to neighbouring countries.
Effects of the War on Racial Minorities
As earlier explained, the war created new employment opportunities for minority groups living in the United States at the time. However, minority groups in the United States were also affected differently by the war. To some extent, the war clearly revealed America’s prejudice against minority groups. Some Americans strongly believed that the war belonged to the white man and were completely opposed to the idea of involving minority groups in the fight against their opponents.
Besides the negative aspects of the war, it also played an important role in boosting the economic status of the minority groups in the United States. Lucrative jobs became available for individuals the minority groups. In addition, minority workers also got an opportunity to meet and interact with whites as well as minorities from other areas. Minority groups started experiencing new things and their level of confidence.
Effects of the War on Women
Women’s lives in the United States changed drastically during World War II. Just as in the case of the minority groups, employment opportunities became available for women. To a certain extent, the prospects realized for women formed a strong foundation for the establishment of women’s movement thereafter.
During the war, most men left their homes to take part in military operations. Consequently, women were compelled to take up jobs initially undertaken by their husbands. The reduced number of men in society pushed women to accept responsibilities originally reserved for men.
Considering that women in the military did not take part in warfare, they had to be called upon to take up some tasks dine by men so as to free them for battle. Unfortunately, some of the new roles assumed by women forced them to move into battle zones, and this led to the death of some of them.
During the war, the number of women in the United States who had to work outside their homes increased tremendously. The majority of the women got employed than had been the case before the war. As already mentioned, women had no choice but to start doing work that was meant for men, with some people thinking that it was patriotic for women to take up such tasks.
Without a doubt, the number of women in professions where they had been excluded shot up like never before. Ostensibly, some women had to move to places where they could get employed in government offices.
Clearly, the reduced number of men in society at the time created room for women to develop new strategies for survival. In some cases, women even took up key leadership positions apart from offer support to government offices.
Conclusion
Without a doubt, World War II greatly changed the way of life in the United States. As discussed in this paper, their specific gains and losses for both women and minority groups. While some of the effects of these two groups were permanent, some were only temporary. In the present world United States, for example, women and minority groups are still being overlooked in various areas.