During World War II, more than six million women joined the civilian workforce, filling jobs left vacant by the men who went to war. They labored in the lumber mills and steel mills, the foundries and shipyards. They became clerical workers and taxi drivers, mechanics and police officers, and they served their country in the war effort through various auxiliary organizations. Government propaganda, including the fictional Rosie the Riveter, sought to make these non-traditional jobs more appealing to women. Those efforts proved to be successful, as roughly one-third of the civilian workforce between the years 1940 and 1945 was comprised of women. During those years, they produced an astounding 300,000 aircraft, 12,000 ships, 86,000 tanks, and 64,000 landing craft in addition to millions of artillery pieces and small weapons. Despite the fact that many lost their jobs following the end of the war, the legacy of Rosie the Riveter continues to live on.
Aircraft Workers of WWII
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt made his plea to American women to join the workforce during World War II, it was the aircraft industry that was the most open to hiring women. As a relatively new industry, it didn’t hold some of the prejudices as other male-dominated professions, and it was in the aircraft factories that “Rosie the Riveter” was born.
Railroad Workers of WWII
Manufacturing jobs weren’t the only ones left vacant by men who’d gone overseas during the war – because of gasoline and rubber rationing during the early 1940’s, passenger train traffic doubled and railroad companies scrambled to hire women to keep their engines running. Approximately 116,000 women were working on railroads by the war’s end.
Red Cross Workers of WWII
The Red Cross served a vital role during World War II, both at home and abroad. They provided comfort and aid to members of the armed forces and their families, served in hospitals suffering from severe shortages of medical staff, and produced emergency supplies for war victims. They also shipped over 300,000 tons of supplies overseas and prepared 27 million packages for American and Allied POW’s.
Women’s Land Army
When millions of farm laborers left the fields for higher-paying factory jobs or for service in the armed forces during World War II, the Women’s Land Army stepped in to help. Despite many having little or no agricultural experience, they drove tractors and tended crops, sheared sheep and packed produce, and did so while receiving an unskilled worker’s wage.
Other War Workers of WWII
Women filled a whole host of jobs during World War II, including jobs in munitions factories and production plants. They served as war correspondents, flew with the Civil Air Patrol, and sold war bonds to support the war effort. Whatever the need, women all over the country stepped up to fill it, overcoming stereotypes and showing they could do the jobs just as well as their male counterparts.
