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INTRODUCTION

Women had a pivotal role in the workforce during WW2, they were a vital part of the war effort at home and abroad. Approximately six million women joined the workforce and they helped keep the country running. During WW2 it was considered that women joining the workforce was a patriotic act, and also provided an economic opportunity for them. They worked in occupations that men dominated before the war. Approximately fifteen million men were serving in the armed forces, creating a dire need for workers to fill vital roles in every sector, some of them served in non-combat roles in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and National Guard. Others volunteered for the Red Cross, but most worked in different industries. Many had factory jobs and some worked clerical jobs or service industries. The results were that women were more than capable of meeting factory work demands, aggressive deadlines, and handling repetitive work. It took some effort to convince women to join the workforce, they used images such as the one of Rosie the Riveter to help convince women to join the war effort emphasizing the importance of war work for the country, but also the economic opportunity. Rosie was a strong and confident woman, wearing overalls and a red bandana, she symbolized the empowerment of women during WW2.

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American Women in World War II: On the Home Front and Beyond
American women played important roles during World War II, both at home and in uniform. Not only did they give their sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers to the war effort, they gave their time, energy, and some even gave their lives.

Reluctant to enter the war when it erupted in 1939, the United States quickly committed itself to total war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. That commitment included utilizing all of America's assets-women included. The Axis powers, on the other hand, were slow to employ women in their war industries. Hitler derided Americans as degenerate for putting their women to work. The role of German women, he said, was to be good wives and mothers and to have more babies for the Third Reich.

When the war began, quickie marriages became the norm, as teenagers married their sweethearts before their men went overseas. As the men fought abroad, women on the Home Front worked in defense plants and volunteered for war-related organizations, in addition to managing their households. In New Orleans, as the demand for public transportation grew, women even became streetcar "conductorettes" for the first time. When men left, women "became proficient cooks and housekeepers, managed the finances, learned to fix the car, worked in a defense plant, and wrote letters to their soldier husbands that were consistently upbeat." (Stephen Ambrose, D-Day, 488) Rosie the Riveter helped assure that the Allies would have the war materials they needed to defeat the Axis.

Nearly 350,000 American women served in uniform, both at home and abroad, volunteering for the newly formed Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs, later renamed the Women's Army Corps), the Navy Women's Reserve (WAVES), the Marine Corps Women's Reserve, the Coast Guard Women's Reserve (SPARS), the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS), the Army Nurses Corps, and the Navy Nurse Corps. General Eisenhower felt that he could not win the war without the aid of the women in uniform. "The contribution of the women of America, whether on the farm or in the factory or in uniform, to D-Day was a sine qua non of the invasion effort." (Ambrose, D-Day, 489)

Women in uniform took office and clerical jobs in the armed forces in order to free men to fight. They also drove trucks, repaired airplanes, worked as laboratory technicians, rigged parachutes, served as radio operators, analyzed photographs, flew military aircraft across the country, test-flew newly repaired planes, and even trained anti-aircraft artillery gunners by acting as flying targets. Some women served near the front lines in the Army Nurse Corps, where 16 were killed as a result of direct enemy fire. Sixty-eight American service women were captured as POWs in the Philippines. More than 1,600 nurses were decorated for bravery under fire and meritorious service, and 565 WACs in the Pacific Theater won combat decorations. Nurses were in Normandy on D-plus-four.

At the war's end, even though a majority of women surveyed reported wanted to keep their jobs, many were forced out by men returning home and by the downturn in demand for war materials. Women veterans encountered roadblocks when they tried to take advantage of benefit programs for veterans, like the G.I. Bill. The nation that needed their help in a time of crisis, it seems, was not yet ready for the greater social equality that would slowly come in the decades to follow.

The National WWII Museum recognizes the contribution that women played in the success of the Allied victory in World War II and explores that contribution in depth in its newest permanent exhibit,The Arsenal of Democracy: The Herman and George Brown Salute to the Home Front.

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History At a Glance: Women in World War II | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

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American Women in World War II: On the Home Front and Beyond American women played important roles during World War II, both at home and in uniform. Not only did they give their sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers to the war effort, they gave their time, energy, and some even gave their lives.

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Some women interrupted their studies to enter blue-collar and clerical jobs and obtain work experience. Some studies suggest that the WW2 job mobilization led to a permanent increase in blue-collar jobs and permanently decreased opportunities for white-collar employment for women in 1940. A study suggests that "both high wartime wages and work experience contributed to the persistent increase in female blue-collar employment". (Bellou, 2015). Bellou's study also concluded that WW2 job mobilization also influenced the younger generation of women, to seek more clerical jobs. The study included women between 15 to 34 years old in 1940 and 35 to 54 years old in the 1960s.

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Unfairness, opportunities, and the end of WW2

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Unfairness, opportunities, and the end of WW2

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By 1944, women held a 1/3 of the factory jobs in the United States. However, black women were blocked from joining the effort by racially discriminatory practices. Mary McLeod Bethune brought the issues to the attention of President Roosevelt. In 1941, President Roosevelt signed an order banning racial discrimination in the defense industry. After the order was signed over one million black women joined the defense industry. Women with children who worked for the defense industry were assisted with subsidized child care to be able to work. After the war ended many women were laid off and the incentives to work stopped, reducing the ability for women to work. After the war was over women's participation in the workforce dropped.

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The leaders of the USSR realized the threat of losing their territory between 1941 and 1944. Stalin created a plan to defend their territories, prioritizing the military rails, agriculture, the navy, and the army. After calling their men to arms and joining the Red Army, in the second half of 1941 women were called to work in factories and also, some women had to do the agricultural work that men used to do. The USSR had to rely heavily on women to take over the workforce during WW2. In 1940, 38% of women represented the workforce of the USSR's industries, by 1945 women were 56% of the workforce and 71% in the agriculture industry. "During the war, women become leaders in the economy, accounting for 2/3 of all workers and 3/4 of agricultural workers" (Shal, et al. 2023). The study showed that women demonstrated they could perform very well in any industry, and remained caring mothers, loving wives, and devoted to their Motherland.

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Women were recruited to join the Army in different countries, but their contributions to support their countries' economies played a pivotal role during WW2. Their roles were recognized as part of winning the war, and their willingness to accept the changes and change their lives to join the workforce to maintain the economy moving for their particular countries was honorable. In Ohio, Ms. Jo Daley Trotter was recognized by receiving an award, and Ms. Trotter was included in the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 2005, for her participation in WW2 as a Volunteer in the Emergency Services. In March 202, Duckworth introduced a bipartisan bill to establish a new memorial in Washington D.C. that recognizes the contributions of 18 million women who helped the economy and society of our nation run in WW2.

CONCLUSION:

WW2 marked an important period for the world and the change in the views regarding the participation of women in the workforce. Women were vital to the war, and the economy. Their leadership redefined the role of women in the workforce and their participation played a vital role in the restoration of the world's economy and winning the war. The work of women during WW2 laid the foundation for equal treatment of women not only in the workforce but in society at large.

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Bellou, A., & Cardia, E. (2016). Occupations after WWII: The legacy of Rosie the Riveter. Explorations in Economic History, 62, 124–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eeh.2016.03.004

Shal, V., Svitovenko, D., Melnyk, V., Melnyk, P., & Polozhyshnyk, V. (2023). Women’s Labor During World War II. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 35(3), 289–303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-023-09458-1

United States : Duckworth Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Establish Memorial Commemorating Efforts of Women on the Home Front During WWII. (2020). In MENA Report. Disco Digital Media, Inc.

Carney, J. (2006). Woman honored for WWII service: She was in WAVES as a radio operator in California and Washington. In McClatchy - Tribune Business News (pp. 1-). Tribune Content Agency LLC.