Working at the factory...

I can perfectly recall the hot-blooded argument which I had with my father back then. When I told him that I was working at an ammunition factory, he strongly disapproved. He believed that this was such an “unfeminine” role. In his mind, only men were capable for such dangerous and tiring work. He wasn’t the only one.
At work, some men glared at us women with those nasty, disgusted, and unwelcoming look. They were surprised to see the women’s unexpected high quality of work. They were probably frustrated and perhaps even threatened that we were finally stepping out of our traditional roles and expectations. I purely enjoyed the freedom of working out of home and gaining a pay cheque with my own hands.
Regardless, the working conditions were tough. Although we worked just as much as the men do, we were paid much less compared to them! It was even more infuriating to see the unskilled men to be rewarded more than the skilled women! My boss argued that it was because the men had “greater family responsibilities” than women did. What nonsense! I worked long hard hours, involving such great dangers and hazards. At the end of the day, I was always covered in filthy dust everywhere. I even moved closer to the factory to adapt to the lengthy hours of work everyday.
Some female workers became very upset about such injustice and discrimination between the men and the women. I was among those who vocally objected about this issue to our boss. But time after time, our protests always resulted as a failure. We understood that it was much more important to get the weapons ready to support our courageous people at the war front. In the end, we had to put our frustration aside and work hard, hoping and praying for victory.

-Marilyn Anderson