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Duda, K. (2013). It's a Man's World: Women's Entrance into Male Spaces during World War II in Florida. Retrieved from http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-7360
Was World War II a watershed for gender roles for Florida women? Researching wartime roles in Jacksonville, Florida, with additional support from Tampa and Panama City, I sought to explore Floridians' experience in: shipyards, the military, and postwar higher education. This clarified, to what degree if any, WWII acted as a watershed for gender roles. Historians discussed the unique opportunity the war brought for women in terms of paid labor. Indeed, shipyards opened positions of manual labor to women that never occurred before; the military recruited women into the WAVES and WACs. The venereal disease campaign also pinpointed women as dangerous carriers while it only sought to encourage male treatment. Yet, both propaganda and the mindset of these managers reinforced prewar roles and the temporality of the job. This thesis examines magazines and government posters as a foundation for understanding gender dynamics during the war. I analyze wage differences, social attitudes through newspapers, and treatment of women to strengthen this conclusion. Furthermore, the continued efforts in postwar advertisements reflected breadwinner/housewife expectations. Higher education also transitioned in Florida yet held onto these expectations. Florida State College for Women became Florida State University which operated as co-educational primarily for returning soldiers utilizing the G.I. bill. The school's handbook rhetoric, student newspaper, and meetings between deans and the president depicted differential treatment of female students compared to male students. The university sought to control and reinforce the respectability of female students. Analyzing Florida within the historical discourse of World War II allowed better understanding into how state officials, military personnel, and society shaped gender roles. However, even as reinforcement of gender roles continued, World War II acted as a seed for change. The opportunities did not generate a sudden change; the war afforded women opportunities to prove their capability and determination.
A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts.
Bibliography Note
Includes bibliographical references.
Advisory Committee
Suzanne Sinke, Professor Directing Thesis; Kristine Harper, Committee Member; Jim Jones, Committee Member.
Publisher
Florida State University
Identifier
FSU_migr_etd-7360
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Duda, K. (2013). It's a Man's World: Women's Entrance into Male Spaces during World War II in Florida. Retrieved from http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-7360