Women in the Military

Women in the Military Ketki S., Ashima S., C Period
In 1920, women had finally received what they had wanted for many years: the right to vote. However, women still did not receive the equal treatment that they deserved, especially in the office environment. The stereotypes of women being stay-at-home-moms restrained women from achieving their goals and getting the jobs they want.

However, after two decades, World War Two provided the perfect opportunity for women to be indirectly involved in the war while still causing a big impact on the war effort. In fact, 6 million of these women joined the workforce for the first time, out of which one third was employed in defense plants. These jobs not only pulled women out of traditional jobs such as domestic service, but also provided them with a better pay.

In fact the military was in such a great need for workforce that General George Marshall pushed for the creation of a Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps. This bill allowed women volunteers to serve in non-combat positions. These women worked as nurses, ambulance drivers, radio operators, electricians and pilots. At first they were not granted the full and equal rights that men had. However, after the influx of women working in the military increased, the U.S Army granted members of the WAC full benefits of the Army.

Women also occupied many jobs in the factories that were left vacant by men who left to serve the war. Employers were reluctant to hire women as they felt that women did not have the ability to work in factories for long periods of time. However, women showed that they could perform as well men could.

In fact, there were so many able women that employers could not hire all of them. Even though women only earned around 60% of the pay men earned, the 6 million proud and patriotic women still worked hard to help America in every possible way that they could.