Women’s Contribution to World War II: We Can Do It!

                                     

 

      Women in the United States made great contributions to the war effort in World War II.  Their hard work and dedication are worth studying because their efforts aided Allied victory. How women entered the primarily male workforce is a fascinating story. Because of the war, there was a shortage of male workers, thus women filled the gap left by men away fighting in the war.

                         

      To recruit women to leave their homes and work in defense plants, there was a propaganda attempt by the government promoting advertisements of women with affirming slogans. One image in the Saturday Evening Post was of a Norman Rockwell painting depicting a woman as Rosie the Riveter stomping on a copy of Hitler’s book Mein Kampf. Another image was a poster of a woman in overalls and a red bandana flexing her muscle saying, “We Can Do It.” These posters and images certainly had an effect on millions of American women because they encouraged and inspired them to enter environments that were normally not accessible to them.  


                                 
                                                           Norman Rockwell painting

       A personal example of a Rosie the Riveter is my grandmother, Kathryn Carroll. In 1944, at the age of 17, she worked in a defense plant in Baltimore, Maryland for a week until the plant shut down because the war ended. She remembers the experience of working in the defense plant with fondness. She recalls that the other women she worked with were enthusiastic about making an impact on winning the war, and they were thrilled to have a job that paid well.

                                   
                                                  My grandmother Kate Carroll

      Women not only gave their time and talents to the workforce but also attempted to show their patriotism by entering the Armed Services. Over 350,000 women served in the Armed Forces during World War II. A politician from Massachusetts, Edith Nourse Rogers, petitioned the government and particularly the Army’s Chief of Staff, George Marshall about starting a corps composed of women for the Army in 1941. Marshall was favorable of the idea because of hearing Eleanor Roosevelt and various women associations endorsing the idea. Additionally, the British were a model to the Americans because they had allowed women to serve.

                                    
                                                                      WACs in training

      Rogers wanted the Women’s Army Corps to be different and not a part of the Army Nurse Corps. She was passionate about starting this group because she had seen women serve in World War I without receiving legal and financial recognition for their services. Public sentiment though disgruntled with accepting women into the Army was at the same time appreciative of the benefits and contributions that women could make. Thus, a compromise was given on May 14, 1942, with the creation of the Women’s Auxiliary Corps or the WAACs. This group was supplementary to the main or Regular Army.                          

                        

      However, because the group was not part of the Army they lacked military prestige and recognition, which prompted Edith Rogers in 1943 to submit another bill asking the WAAC to be part of the Regular Army. President Roosevelt responded to the bill by turning the WAACs into the WACs or the Women’s Army Corps. Thus, the WACs were finally given complete military status. By the end of the war, in 1945, there were over 100,000 women serving in the WACs in both the European and Pacific theaters of the war. They served in North Africa, England, Southeast Asia, India, Italy, Egypt, and Australia.

                                      

      Especially interesting were those who helped in the European Theater of Operations. Some of these women served at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) in England. And through their secretarial skills, translating abilities, and intelligence work, they contributed to the organization and planning of the Normandy invasion. Thus, their work was important to the overall Allied war effort. Through their bravery and strength, they helped the Allies achieve victory in World War II.

                           

      By entering the workforce and doing well making important military equipment, and by joining  the Women’s Army Corps aiding the Allies in many important battles and missions such as D-Day, women proved that they could help win the war by serving at home and overseas.

                           


                                             Recommended Readings

Bellafaire, Judith A. “The Women’s Army Corps: A Commemoration of
      World War II Service.” The Women’s Army Corps. Accessed on February
      24, 2014. http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/WAC/WAC.HTM.

“History of the Women’s Army Corps.” Women’s Army Corps Veterans’
       Association. Accessed on February 24, 2014.
      http://www.armywomen.org/wacHistory.shtml.

“Rosie the Riveter.” History. Accessed on February 24, 2014.         
      http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/rosie-the-riveter.

“The Image and Reality of Women who Worked During World War II.”
      Rosie the Riveter: Women Working During World War II. Accessed on
      February 24, 2014. http://www.nps.gov/pwro/collection/website/rosie.htm.

“Women in War Jobs—Rosie the Riveter (1942-1945).” Advertising Educational
      Foundation. Accessed on February 24, 2014.       
      http://www.aef.com/exhibits/social_responsibility/ad_council/2150.