World War II lasted from 1939 to 1945 and most of the battles were fought abroad. Once Australia became heavily involved, over 200,000 women joined various workforces. Although women initially felt helpless fighting the war from home, making this effort eventually meant that more men could be sent to the front to fight. The war had a devastating impact on every corner of the world but among the difficulties that women had to face physically there were some positive effects; women have progressed economically by gaining social recognition. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In July 1942, one of the first women's war organizations was founded in an effort to alleviate the country's manpower shortage, the Australian Women's Land Army (AWLA). The introduction of such an association allowed women to feel the positive effects of war on work, resulting in the improvement of the economic side of life with the development of women's economic independence. The role of women at home meant that more men could be sent to war, while the workforce in Australia did not suffer. Women were initially denied the chance to help the war effort with the thought that men's pay would be lowered, but as Australia was hit harder and supply demands increased, the government slowly allowed their support. Women acquired many skills in trades in which they had never been able to be employed before allowing post-war employment opportunities. Women began working at observation posts and as anti-aircraft gunners, drivers, mechanics, and radio operators. The women not only challenged the work stereotypes placed around them, but they demanded equal pay as they performed the work of a skilled male while receiving less than that of an unskilled man. This was not the first time that pay was discussed, but this time we saw some results with an agreement in some job sectors for equal pay between the sexes based on jobs. The campaign for equal pay between the sexes had begun even before the Second World War, but it was only in the late 1940s that women's wages began to be set on a scale that allowed no less than 60% of a man's salary by up to 100%, an increase over the average salary of 50%. The WEB (Women's Employment Board) rarely drops below 90%. Even when measures were put in place and some women completed jobs better than men, there was still prejudice against women getting the same pay and job opportunities: “The suggestion of raising an army of women to do the hard work farm work is ridiculous." - The Argus, 1941. The number of women paid workers increased by almost 50% from 1939 to 1943 and made up almost 1/3 of workers. Not only that, but the number of women participating in the workforce and, ultimately, the war effort continued to increase, while the level of male participation declined. The decrease in male workers meant a greater variety in the work done by women, for the few years of the war the most active industries were those that aided the war and which had previously all been dominated by men. In the metallurgical sector alone, female employment increased by over 45,000 units. The source is reliable as it comes from a trusted site, JSTOR. Furthermore, this source was published by a press.