Women's rights in History
...that demanded high production and was necessary for the success in the war. Women also took the role of government office workers, worked as journalists, served as telephone operators, and entertained troops. In Britain, women took a more active role and were enrolled in the armed forces. At one point 80,000 women were enrolled in British forces in non-combat roles. For some time, women actually were employed to train men in shooting. Women saw these roles as liberating. Women became less afraid to stand up for themselves and saw each other as equals against men. Volunteering became more common and women also created various organizations and charities. Founded in 1874, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union was a major volunteer organization that focused on the prohibition of alcohol. The affects of this amendment caused a black market for alcohol and set the tone for the roaring twenties. Women of this era started to “let their hair down”. Dances started getting riskier, and women wore flapper dresses. World War I only increased the WCTU’s goals because drinking could not be tolerated at war. A British based organization, called the British Women’s Freedom League, created a newspaper that campaigned for women’s rights. World War I escalated the degree to which women were determined to fight. Women became more outspoken, determined, and they believed in themselves. They organized peace rallies and continued to fight for their right to vote and be involved in the political process. Women fought for their equality and involvement in the political process through suffrage and the right to vote. Women were considered in a lower social status then men up until World War I. The War not only proved that this was wrong, but it gave women the courage, initiative and determination to make the world better for themselves. In 1918, British women were given the right to vote if they were over the age of 30. Organizations like the ones previously mentioned, were what pushed governments to finally do something. They couldn’t ignore it any longer. In the USA, the sixteenth amendment was passed in 1920 stating that any person over the age of 21 had the right to vote. Women were also being employed more and more within government...