The Women's War
"'This War Is A Personal Affair Between Me and Hitler' proclaimed the posters. 'Morale Is A Woman's Business', 'Join Up', 'Business Is Not As Usual', ran the ads. And New Zealand women responded in droves, volunteering for patriotic organisations, going out to work and joining the armed forces, all the while managing to keep homes and families going. Yet, in spite of the dramatic wartime changes in women's lives the Second World War did not mark a radical shift in gender roles and after its...
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"'This War Is A Personal Affair Between Me and Hitler' proclaimed the posters. 'Morale Is A Woman's Business', 'Join Up', 'Business Is Not As Usual', ran the ads. And New Zealand women responded in droves, volunteering for patriotic organisations, going out to work and joining the armed forces, all the while managing to keep homes and families going. Yet, in spite of the dramatic wartime changes in women's lives the Second World War did not mark a radical shift in gender roles and after its end old patterns were soon restored. Wartime workers and their soldier sweethearts soon reappeared as home-making mums and bread-winning dads." This book explains the ambiguities of wartime changes in the private and public lives of New Zealand women. It considers women as mothers, wives and lovers, as well as workers, using many examples from real lives. Deborah Montgomerie's main argument is that despite the changes, the war was essentially a conservative period, pointing out that understanding the continuities in gender relations is as important as cataloguing female 'firsts'. Her book stylishly challenges accepted wisdom and offers a clear, fresh view of a period often viewed through the blurry lens of nostalgia and anecdote.
Acknowledgements6List of Abbreviations7Introduction : Wartime Change and the Gender Order9Ch. 1Women at War21Ch. 2Volunteers41Ch. 3Working for Victory63Ch. 4Manpowering Women83Ch. 5Womanpower - Women's Responses to Industrial Conscription103Ch. 6Mothers of the Nation127Ch. 7Wives and Lovers149Ch. 8Rehabilitating the Gender Order171Notes188Index198
