ROLES OF WOMEN

EUROPE

BRITAIN

• 1917- the WAAC and WRNS created
• Workers allowed only domestic duties
• Dec. 1941- National Service Act passed
• Allowed for conscription of women
• Chose armed forces or work in farming or industry

FRANCE

• Made up 20% of French Resistance
• Underground duties- spies, newspaper writers
• Marie-Madeline Fourcade- 1st female leader of a maquis
• Maquis- a revolutionary group of rural resistance fighters

SOVIET UNION

• Most active female armed forces
• 800,000 women volunteered and served
• Served as pilots, snipers, machine gunners, etc.
• Sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko killed 300 German soldiers
• Struggled with discrimination and harassment

POLAND

POLAND

• Women acted as couriers and scouts
• Home army female soldiers carried weapons and fought

GERMANY

• 1945- 85% of auxiliary army jobs held by women
• Hitler encouraged women not to work
• "Produce more pure Aryan children to fight in future wars"
• 1933- Law for the Encouragement of Marriage
• 1937- "Duty Year"

ASIA

JAPAN & JAPANESE AMERICANS

• Japanese and Chinese Americans in the military
• Many were Nisei- 2nd generation American
• Wanted to show loyalty and end the war
• Military intelligence service linguistics

TOKYO ROSE

• Americans forced to spread Japanese propaganda
• Radio broadcasts demoralized Americans
• Orphan Annie Radio Program

WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN JAPAN

• Became head of household
• Key to economic success
• Took over men's jobs
• Support of General MacArthur

MADAME CHIANG KAI-SHEK

• Wife of Chinese leader
• Head of China's Air Force
• Active protester of Japanese occupation

COMFORT WOMEN

• Sex slavery
• Japanese treatment
• Personal account
• Repercussions after WWII

THE UNITED STATES

PROPAGANDA

• Rosie the Riveter
• Encouraged patriotic work in non-traditonal jobs

WOMEN'S ROLES IN THE MILITARY

• Non-combatants served in domestic jobs
• Any military role available except for combat roles
• Women served as as Air Force Service Pilots
• "Victory girls" and "sporting girls"

WOMENS ROLES AT HOME

• Working rates increased from 25 to 36%
• Took over every job possible to free men to fight

WHEN MEN RETURNED

• Women forced out of jobs and back into the house
• Women fought back- "Tupperware Parties"

IMPORTANT AMERICAN WOMEN

• Eleanor Roosevelt- built morale
• Frances Perkins- US Secretary of Labor
• Oveta Culp Hobby- director of Women's Army Corps