WOMEN IN WWII

ARMED FORCES: THE WAC'S

• 350,000 women joined the armed forces
• In May 1942 congress instituted the Women's Army Corps
• They worked more than 200 noncombatant jobs
• By 1945 there were 100,000 WAC's and 6,000 female officers

ARMED FORCES: WAVES

• Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service
• Held the same status as naval reservists
• They also provided the same amount of support

ARMED FORCES: WASP'S

• Women Airforce Service Pilots
• They were the first women to fly military aircraft
• Ferried planes, transported cargo, participated in target missions
• They freed thousands of male pilots while in service

WASP'S CONTINUED

• More than 1,000 WASPs served and 38 lost their lives
• On March 10, 2010, WASPs received the Congressional Gold Medal
• Before then, they didn't receive any medals or awards

ROSIE THE RIVETER

• Rosie was part of the propaganda campaign
• Based on a small part on a real life munitions
• Fictional character and one of the most successful recruitment tools
• One of the most iconic images from ww2
• Her famous line was "We can do it!"

JOBS

• Female workers rarely earned more than 50% of male wages
• By the mid 1940's women made up 36% of the work force
• They were engineers, barbers, chemists, firefighters, and pilots

AT HOME

• Teenagers married their sweethearts before they went to war
• Women volunteered for war related jobs, while managing their home
• " ' became proficient cooks and housekeepers, managed the finances,
• learned to fix the car, worked in a defense plant, and wrote letters
• to their husbands that were constantly upbeat.' "

AFTER THE WAR

• Women wanted to keep their jobs, but we're kicked out
• Forced to quit because men returning home and the downturn
• in demand for materials.
• Women veterans had trouble taking advantage of benefit programs
• for veterans, like the GI Bill.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• "American Women in World War II." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
• "American Women In World War II on the Home Front and Beyond." Working Women in WWII. N.p.: National WWII Museum, n.d. N. pag. Print. Chapter