World War II: The Impacts on Female Figures in Movies

Research Article
Open access

World War II: The Impacts on Female Figures in Movies

Yongxi Huang 1*
  • 1 Sendelta International Academy Shenzhen    
  • *corresponding author huangsunny019@gmail.com
Published on 13 June 2025 | https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/2024.24035
LNEP Vol.101
ISSN (Print): 2753-7056
ISSN (Online): 2753-7048
ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-191-4
ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-192-1

Abstract

This paper discusses the impact of World War II on the depiction of female figure in film industry, particularly how women’s social expectancy is reflected in turns of movie. During World War II, women were encouraged to enter the workforce, leading to portrayals of independent female figures, but post-war movies reverted to traditional domestic ideals. By analyzing both pre-war and post-war films, this study examines the depicted women figure showed in film industry before World War II and after. The films Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and It’s a Wonderful Life were chosen to be examine since they do not embody any sexism ideologies. The analysis reveals that the female expectancy and social roles surprisingly retrograded back to traditional domestic character. While in pre-war movie Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, there is independent business woman like Babe Bennett, all the female characters in It’s a Wonderful Life remain traditionally portrayed as housewives. These findings suggest that independent powerful women figure was not a enduring image and underscore that the influence of World War II on women’s figure in films is over evaluated.

Keywords:

World War II, film industry, gender norms, sexism, social expectancy

Huang,Y. (2025). World War II: The Impacts on Female Figures in Movies. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,101,1-5.
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References

[1]. Bussing-Burks, M. (2002, November 11). Women and post-WWII wages. NBER. Retrieved from https://www.nber.org/digest/nov02/women-and-post-wwii-wages

[2]. Greenwald, M. W. (1990). Women, war, and work: The impact of World War I on women workers in the United States. Cornell University Press.

[3]. Goldin, C. D. (1991). The role of World War II in the rise of women’s employment. The American Economic Review, 81(4), 741–756.

[4]. Capra, F. (Director). (1936, April 12). Mr. Deeds goes to town [Film]. Columbia Pictures. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/81u9rM__zEs?si=4vWo5WIcHZF891hu (4:30, 9:00, 25:51, 28:14, 56:14)

[5]. Capra, F. (Director). (1946, December 20). It’s a wonderful life [Film]. Liberty Films. Retrieved from https://www.bilibili.com/bangumi/play/ep304716 (6:24, 6:48, 7:07, 14:28, 43:21, 84:50)

Cite this article

Huang,Y. (2025). World War II: The Impacts on Female Figures in Movies. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,101,1-5.

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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Global Politics and Socio-Humanities

ISBN：978-1-80590-191-4(Print) / 978-1-80590-192-1(Online)
Editor：Enrique Mallen
Conference website: https://2024.icgpsh.org/
Conference date: 20 December 2024
Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media
Volume number: Vol.101
ISSN：2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

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References

[1]. Bussing-Burks, M. (2002, November 11). Women and post-WWII wages. NBER. Retrieved from https://www.nber.org/digest/nov02/women-and-post-wwii-wages

[2]. Greenwald, M. W. (1990). Women, war, and work: The impact of World War I on women workers in the United States. Cornell University Press.

[3]. Goldin, C. D. (1991). The role of World War II in the rise of women’s employment. The American Economic Review, 81(4), 741–756.

[4]. Capra, F. (Director). (1936, April 12). Mr. Deeds goes to town [Film]. Columbia Pictures. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/81u9rM__zEs?si=4vWo5WIcHZF891hu (4:30, 9:00, 25:51, 28:14, 56:14)

[5]. Capra, F. (Director). (1946, December 20). It’s a wonderful life [Film]. Liberty Films. Retrieved from https://www.bilibili.com/bangumi/play/ep304716 (6:24, 6:48, 7:07, 14:28, 43:21, 84:50)

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