War and Gender: A Woman's Place Is in the ?

“A Mujer’s (Woman’s) Place is in the ?”
            This paper tests the impact of World War Two on Texas Mexican American women’s (Tejanas’) lives.  It seeks to answer: Just how much, if at all, was World War Two a turning point for Tejanas’ sense of subjectivity and community?  By addressing this question, I hope to engage with the literature on Mexican American ethnicity and race, such as George J. Sanchez’ Becoming Mexican American, in the mid-twentieth century. 
            Despite the fact that George J. Sánchez’work has shown that Mexican Americans in Los Angeles began to assert themselves economically, politically, and socially prior to World War Two, there is still a trend in the field of history to view World War Two as a pivotal moment for most minority groups, whether African American or Chicana/o.  The story usually goes as such: World War Two emboldened returning Chicano veterans to fight for their civil rights.  But, what did World War Two mean for Chicanas, most of whom did not serve the U.S. militarily. What if anything changed for them after 1945?
Mexican American women in the World War Two era enjoyed some new opportunities.  For one, civil service jobs were now available to them as well as women of various ethnic and racial backgrounds.  Certain towns in Texas, such as San Antonio, offered greater work opportunities.  However, just how many Tejanas were able to improve their socioeconomic situations?  Of the ones who saw their socioeconomic opportunities improve, were these improvements dramatic or minimal?  This paper seeks to answer these questions by looking at how the lives of Chicanas in San Antonio and Houston were impacted by the Second World War.