World War II was one of the most important moments in the history of the United States, because women got to play an important role. Not only did women join the workforce, but they had their own military services. Eileen Rouine was in one of the women’s military services, and she was in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service or the WAVES.
Women in the WAVES by Campbell
She was fortunate enough to be involved in the WAVES, and it is where she had some of her most memorable experience and made her lifelong friends. The women’s military services were important to history because it changed the way that people looked at women, they could now be in the work force without being judged. Life before the war was described as “In the case of women, life course stages have historically been restricted to a few options: girlhood, schooling, paid employment, marriage, motherhood, and widowhood. In recent decades, paid employment has become much more important and has been the focus of an enormous amount of research” (Campbell). Because of the women’s military services, women were able to join the workforce and contribute to society more than they could have in the past. This research project on the women of World War II shows that women did play a crucial role in the war, and that they could in fact, work alongside the men.
Growing Up
Eileen was born and raised in Lowell Massachusetts, a city rich with history blooming from the industrial revolution. Eileen describes the history of Lowell and her family saying “My grandmother and my mother were both workers in the mills when they were young, and luckily for me I did not have to work there. They described their experiences as terrible, and they did not want that life for me” (Rouine). But because Eileen grew up when the great depression hit, money was tight and her father struggled with trying to keep the family together. Eileen said “My father would try everything he could to keep food on our table; we even had a garden in our yard which was unusual for our neighborhood” (Rouine). Eileen was aware that times were tough when she was young, and ever since then she knew the importance of a job, and she was not unlike other women in the country. Women workers during the depression are described as “Those traditional gender roles assumed that all women were members of families with a male breadwinner at its head, but that description did not always match reality. Women who were widowed or divorced, or whose husbands had deserted them, struggled to keep their families afloat; single women had to fend for themselves. These women were truly on the margins, practically invisible” (“Histroy Now”). Eileen believes that the need for women to work became greater during the depression, because it was tough for everyone; money was so tight that people couldn’t afford to not work. Eileen remembers looking up to Eleanor Roosevelt, because she was a strong woman who encouraged women to stand up for themselves. Roosevelt played a major part in the 1930’s as well as others, it was described as:
Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, the first woman in the cabinet, oversaw many of the social welfare initiatives and Ellen Sullivan Woodward supervised women’s relief projects for the Works Progress Administration, while Molly Dewson promoted an issue-oriented reform agenda from her position at the Democratic National Committee. Their effectiveness was dramatically enhanced by access to Eleanor Roosevelt, who used her position as First Lady to advance the causes of women, blacks, and other marginalized groups (“History Now”).
Because Eileen had such strong female role models, she did not have to think twice about her decision to join the WAVES.
America in the early 1940’s went through many changes; we entered into World War II, most of the men in the workforce went to join the war, and women started to take the jobs that were left by the men. Some of the jobs that were created specifically for women were created by the military. Eileen Rouine remembers the feeling that she had once she found out that America was entering the war. Her family decided that they would support all of the decisions made by the siblings regarding the war. Eileen reflected on those times saying “My family was supportive of my decision to go into the WAVES, they embraced it actually. They also accepted my brother’s decision to join the ARMY as well. My family was proud to say that they had relatives making a difference for the safety of the country” (Rouine). In 1941, Eileen enlisted in the WAVES and reported to the First Naval District in Boston, Massachusetts. This is where Eileen would meet some of her lifelong friends and, some enemies. The training that she went through gave her confidence and the leadership skills that she would take with her for the rest of her life. Eileen laughed as she recalled a funny thing that happened when she was a typist. Explaining the story with a smile on her face she told me “the training was not tough compared to some of the people that I had to deal with. One day, some woman was giving me trouble, she wanted to give me an attitude so I waited until she went to sit down and I pulled her chair out from under her. She fell down. I never had a problem with her again” (Rouine). If it were not for her confidence being so high from her training she would not have done that.
Along with the building of confidence, the WAVES taught women important life skills that they could take with them for future work opportunities. The WAVES taught women many different skills ranging from how to work/ repair the machinery, how to type and keep records, how to cook large amounts of food and how to take care of wounded soldiers. Eileen’s role in the WAVES was to keep records and the finances of certain sections of the Navy. She explained a normal day as “I would go into one of the big workrooms, and there would be certain things for me to type, such as some purchases that were made and type up the telegraphs that were to be sent out that day” (Rouine). The WAVES gave Eileen and thousands of other women the skills and courage to move forward after the war to enter the workforce.
What Came From This
Women knew that once they were able to join the military, they should be able to join the workforce as well, but that was not as well received after the war was over. Eileen explained by saying “They gave us Rosie the Riveter, but once the war was over we were expected to go back home. This was not good enough for women anymore, and we started to make a change for the good. We made a push to enter the workforce, and we took the men by surprise” (Rouine). Although Eileen went to go work in the drug store that her husband’s family owned, many women were not so lucky. Many women who had been members of the WAVES and the other military forces were not able to go back to work after the war ended and society told them to go back to the kitchen. Although women had proven that they could work regular jobs, it was described as “Many women remained in the workforce but employers forced them back into lower-paying female jobs. Most women were laid off and told to go back to their homes” (“Rosie the Riveter”). This was hard for women to take, but they fought through what society wanted them to do, and they were ready to enter the workforce. Eileen said “I was proud to be a woman, and I knew that I could have the confidence to go out and look for jobs, and not take no for an answer” (Rouine).
Life After War
After the war, Eileen settled down and got married, she recalls this time saying “Once the war was over, I met my husband, and we decided that we can work side by side, and it was one of the happiest times in my life.” Eileen, like so many different Americans were starting to have children, and this time would later be called the baby boom. The Baby boom was described as “The years between 1946 and 1964 produced approximately 76 million American children, an average of four million births per year for 19 years” (DECD). Eileen worked in the drug store that her husband owned with his brother, and was able to support their now growing family. Eileen said “after I meet Fuzzy (Frank Rouine) I knew that my life was all set. We had four lovely children and my life was stable. I was able to work alongside my husband and watch my children grow; I am proud that my children were able to have two parents that served in WWII” (Rouine).
World War II was an interesting time; the American people were dedicated to making everything to help with the war, the majority of the men were in the war, and the women were left to pick up the pieces. For Eileen, it was no question to enter the WAVES. She knew that her family would support her, and she would never question her decision. She was proud of what she accomplished in the WAVES, and what she accomplished after. She is proud that she was able to work alongside her husband in the workforce. Eileen summed up everything by saying “I have lived an interesting life, I have no regrets, and I would not take anything back. I am proud to say that my children are all successful and my life has been a “happy one” (Rouine).
Eileen and I at the beach provided by Rouine, Eileen
Works Cited
Campbell, D'Ann. "Servicewomen Of World War II." Armed Forces & Society (0095327X) 16.2 (1990): 251-270. Military & Government Collection. EBSCO. Web. 3 May 2011.
"DECD: Research." CT.gov Portal. Web. 13 May 2011. http://www.ct.gov/ecd/cwp/view.asp?A=1106&Q=250946
"History Now. The Historians Perspective." The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History . Home. Web. 13 May 2011. http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/03_2009/historian4.php
"Rosie the Riveter: Women Working During World War II." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. Web. 03 May 2011. http://www.nps.gov/pwro/collection/website/rosie.htm
Rouine, Eileen D. Personal interview. 07 May 2011.
Rouine, Eileen D. 1942. Photograph
Excellent embedded photo and hyperlink! (But don't forget to add a caption to the photo.)
ReplyDeleteNeed to create TWO-part title.
Good intro, but the quote needs to be cited.
Works Cited looks excellent! (Just remove extra period at the end...and don't forget to add Eileen as a source.)
Great looking Works Cite page, just be sure to add URLs at the end of each non-database web source.
ReplyDeleteRemember that the CAPTIONS for each embedded image must include the SOURCE. (See my examples in the “Research Project - FINAL REQUIREMENTS” on the Blackboard Assignments page.) Each image source must also be included on the bibliography list.