WOMEN IN WWII

WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE

• Since many men were going to war, women had to take their jobs
• Women took factory jobs to build weapons of war
• While more men joined the military, more women took non-factory jobs

ROSIE THE RIVETER

• She stressed the need for women to enter the workforce
• Her name was originally used in a song of the same name
• Rosie was based off of a real woman named Rose Will Monroe

WOMEN'S WAGES

• Women made around $3 per week
• As more women joined the workforce, their pay got lower and lower
• Men made more than 20 times more money than women per week

WOMEN IN THE ARMED FORCES

• By 1945 more than 100,000 women were in the WAC's and there were over 6,000 female officers
• In 1941, there were over 350,000 women in all branches of the military
• The women only branches of the military were the WAC, WASP, WAVES and the SPARS

WOMEN'S ARMY CORPS

• Men strongly opposed women in uniform
• Known as the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps until July 1st 1943
• Originally expected to have 11,000 volunteers, but ended up with around 150,000

WOMEN ACCEPTED FOR VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY SERVICE

• Within the first year, WAVES were 27,000 women strong
• WAVES was an official part of the US Navy
• WAVES could not serve on combat ships or aircraft carriers, only on the US home front

WOMEN AFTER WWII

• At the end, most women wanted to keep their jobs, but weren't allowed
• Many women veterans couldn't take advantage of the GI Bill
• Women having to give up their jobs was the action that began the Women's Rights movement

THE END