Sexism in the 1940's

Something I noted in my Reading Response Log about Code Name Verity was the importance of female protagonists participating in male-dominated careers. Honestly, men were so weary of allowing women to become pilots, that they would rather fly young, inexperienced males than women more than capable of completing the job. If you think about it, a lot of lives may have been saved had this sexism not existed. Being a female pilot herself, Elizabeth Wein knew how important it was to include the subject of sexism in her book. These videos explain Wein's reasoning.

Was it important to have women protagonists?

Was there a difference between male and female roles in the 40's?