A Brief Note On American Women In World War II

It is a common misconception that women never worked before the war and that large amounts of women suddenly streamed into the workforce picking up work that they have never done before. However, contrary to popular belief, that is not entirely true. It was definitely the case that middle to upper class American families could afford to let the woman stay at home as they were not required to work or to contribute to the household expenses. However, many women of a lower economic status and minority groups had to work. They were not able to enjoy the luxury that was staying home to look after their kids or husband. Another type of women who worked would be those that would work for a few years before they got married and had children. Thus,

For the first time, the financial duties of a household fell onto the shoulders of women. Due to the lack of manpower, the opportunities that were offered to women expanded greatly, and women started taking on hard skilled labour that was initially always seen as “men’s work”. By 1945, working women was so abundant that “one out of every four married women” worked (“American women in World War II”, n.d.). Women took on many home front jobs such as factory work, but the most significant increase was in the aviation industry, totalling a considerable 65% of the total industry (“American women in World War II”, n.d.). Many worked in factories, and produced supplies needed for war and for the allied powers, such as planes and

The years of the war was tiring and strenuous not only for the soldiers at war, but also for the women who were toughing it out on the home front. After clocking in long hours at the factory building machines and vehicles needed for the war, they still had to perform their household duties. But, many were happy and willing to do so, as working outside of their homes and helming jobs that they never did before was how women showed their patriotism for their country. Women had to maintain the industrial as well as the agricultural sectors in order to ensure that the American society could continue to function, and to help the allies in the war (“Brock, J., Dickey, J. W., Harker, R., & Lewis, C”, 2015). New opportunities were also made available for women in white-collar sectors. About one million women were employed by the federal government and they were known as the ‘Government girls’ (“Brock, J., Dickey, J. W., Harker, R., & Lewis, C”, 2015). It was the first time that the government allowed women to fill up these jobs as it has always been seen as jobs that can only be carried out by