Contribution of Women During WWII

               1) Women in Combat

               2) Women Nurses

               3) Women's Roles in Factories

               4) References

Women in Combat

     Many women participated in the military during WWII.  Although women were not allowed to fight in direct combat, they filled almost every other military position.  Most of the women joined different groups that were involved in the war.  Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby explains, "Women who stepped up were measured as citizens of the nation, not as women... this was a people's war, and everyone was in it." (Whitman 16) These groups included the WASPs, women airforce service pilots, the WACs, women army corps, and the WAVES, women accepted for volunteer emergency.  In 1945, there were over 2000 women army corps serving in North Africa alone.  About 1/4 million American women soldiers of WWII made many contributions to the war effort which in turn helped America through the tough times of war.    

• A formation of the Women Army Corps in Italy

Women Nurses

      Instead of staying home and working in the factories, some women decided to become nurses and get in the action. Being a nurse was an honor when being a woman in the United States.  The Army and Navy Nurse Corps recruited 74,000 total women throughout the war.  At least 5,000 of those women served in the Southwest Pacific alone.  Being a nurse in the war also had its disadvantages as well.  About 200 army nurses lost their lives during battle.  By the end of the war, nurses received 1,169 medals, citations, and commendments for their actions.  Some of the nurses even got awarded with the Purple Heart which is for "outstanding performance of duty and meritorious acts of extraordinary fidelity." (Nathan 7).  The Purple Heart proves that the nurses who served in the war helped save lives and contributed to a win of the war.

• Government ad for women to become a nurse

U.S. Women Roles in Factories

      Due to the demand for men during the war women, in order to support their families, had to replace the men’s jobs.  Not only did the American women work, so did the women from Britain and Germany.  Because of the American women helping the war, weapons were mass produced, as well as clothing and equipment.  In the United States, Rosie the Riveter became heavily popular in 1942.  This encouraged women to do the men’s work.  A government ad explains, “If you’ve followed recipes exactly for making cakes, you can learn to load a shell.”(Reynoldson 8).  If women had children under the age of 14, they were supposed to stay at home and care for their family.  By the end of the war, around twelve million women were already working in factories supporting the war effort.

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• Woman brazing an automobile in Buffalo

   

References:

          A formation of WACS in Italy, 1945. 2005. United Streaming. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010.              <http://discoveryeducation.com>.

Become a Nurse. N.d. Ap Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://apimages.ap.org>.

Nathan, Amy. Yankee Doodle Gals. Washington D.C.: National Geographic Society, 2001. Print.

Reynoldson, Fiona. Women and War. New York City: Wayland, 1993. Print.

Whitman, Sylvia. Uncle Sam Wants You! Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1993. Print.

Woman brazing an automobile casting in Buffalo. 2005. United Streaming. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2010. <http://discoveryeducation.com>.