It took me a couple of months to
decide on what my NHD topic was going to be. I bounced around from
environmental and animal issues, to Native American topics, and finally to
women’s rights. After narrowing my options down, I finally settled on women
working during WWII, specifically American women, for my NHD topic. Once I
started researching, I became very interested in my new topic, and how it
affected women’s opportunities today. After reading articles and books about
how our country encouraged these women to work during WWII, only to force a
majority of those same women into unemployment, I realized how influential this
was. I knew that I had found my NHD topic.
Immediately, I began to research my topic on the Internet, so I would get the big picture before the tiny details. After about a week, I had gained the big picture of my topic, and headed over to the Wisconsin Historical Society to do some research. I found a couple pamphlets and several books on my topic, books about women working and fighting during WWII. I was even able to conduct an interview with a woman who actually worked during WWII, and find information about the company that woman worked for and what they did during the war. I retrieved 3 books which later became key secondary sources in my project.
I chose to present my information and my topic in the form of a website. Personally, I don’t like public speaking, so I decided against a performance, and I have created many poster/exhibit-like projects before. Also, a website doesn’t require any paper and can be accessed anywhere (it’s easily transportable). Within my site, I discuss how working during the war affected the women during and after the war, about some actual women war-workers, and about women’s opportunities now (how they’re different).
When it comes to women working during WWII, there wasn’t really any debate over whether women should be allowed to work, seeing as the women were needed to work after the men departed for battle. But there was a lack of needed debate over what would happen AFTER the war ended. Most of the jobs (that weren’t created specifically for the war) belonged to the men, and during the war, the women had to take over their previous jobs. They proved they could do these tasks easily and efficiently, yet the women were laid off in the years following the end of WWII, from the jobs they’d done so well. Though for the women who actually retained their jobs after WWII, they weren’t even paid equally for identical jobs, the men always got more money. This set the stage for the women’s rights movement, in which they finally gained the right to vote. Later on, after Title IX was added, women were finally able to get the same education and sports opportunities as men did.
Anya Wolterman
Junior Division
Individual Website
Immediately, I began to research my topic on the Internet, so I would get the big picture before the tiny details. After about a week, I had gained the big picture of my topic, and headed over to the Wisconsin Historical Society to do some research. I found a couple pamphlets and several books on my topic, books about women working and fighting during WWII. I was even able to conduct an interview with a woman who actually worked during WWII, and find information about the company that woman worked for and what they did during the war. I retrieved 3 books which later became key secondary sources in my project.
I chose to present my information and my topic in the form of a website. Personally, I don’t like public speaking, so I decided against a performance, and I have created many poster/exhibit-like projects before. Also, a website doesn’t require any paper and can be accessed anywhere (it’s easily transportable). Within my site, I discuss how working during the war affected the women during and after the war, about some actual women war-workers, and about women’s opportunities now (how they’re different).
When it comes to women working during WWII, there wasn’t really any debate over whether women should be allowed to work, seeing as the women were needed to work after the men departed for battle. But there was a lack of needed debate over what would happen AFTER the war ended. Most of the jobs (that weren’t created specifically for the war) belonged to the men, and during the war, the women had to take over their previous jobs. They proved they could do these tasks easily and efficiently, yet the women were laid off in the years following the end of WWII, from the jobs they’d done so well. Though for the women who actually retained their jobs after WWII, they weren’t even paid equally for identical jobs, the men always got more money. This set the stage for the women’s rights movement, in which they finally gained the right to vote. Later on, after Title IX was added, women were finally able to get the same education and sports opportunities as men did.
Anya Wolterman
Junior Division
Individual Website
