“THAT’S NOT TRUE! THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE!” WWII AIRWOMEN AND POPULAR HEROINES IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOVIET UNION

Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Harvey, David

Keywords

World War II, Women, Gender Roles, Pilots

Area of Concentration

History

Abstract

This thesis examines the experience of women who served in the Soviet and American air forces during World War II. The first chapter considers changing gender roles, the creation of the “New Woman,” and the emergence of “popular heroines” in the interwar period, as well as the advent of women in aviation prior to the war. The second chapter examines women’s entrance into the traditionally masculine military domain, specifically focusing on the creation of women’s aviation units in the war. The final chapter looks at media representations and experiences of airwomen during the war and how these portrayals demonstrate how “women’s work” was defined in this period as a way to maintain existing gender hierarchies. Women in the air forces served both in all-female units and alongside men in World War II. Following the war, however, women were largely discouraged from continuing their careers in aviation and the military was redefined as a male domain.

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