Women in the War

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Women in the War

• American History
• Miss Morris

Part I
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• Key points
• 90,000 total in war
• 13,000 -30,000 enlisted in U.S. Army, Coast
  Guard, Navy Marines.

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Key points most served as nurses, reconstruction
aides or Red Cross workers
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Hello Girls

• wanted women in the Army because, women have the
  patience and determination to do long, difficult
  detailed work.

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• Key points
• Nurses were the principal focus in terms of
  recruiting.

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• Before the US entered the war, the Red Cross was
  a small organization.
• When the US joined the war, the Red Cross grew a
  lot.

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• The Red Cross became a major national
  humanitarian organization with strong leadership,
  a huge membership base, universal recognition

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The impact of the war on women
American History Miss Morris
Part II
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Key points Before the war, the most common
employment for a woman was as a domestic
servant. Women were also employed in suitable
occupations like teaching, nursing, office work.
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Key points When war broke out in August
1914, thousands of women were sacked from jobs in
dressmaking, millinery and jewellery making. They
needed work and they wanted to help the war
effort.
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• Key points
• More than one million women entered the
  workforce, replacing male workers, which
  eventually helped set up the Women's Bureau.

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Key points The shell shortage crisis in 1915
began to change the situation. Women were taken
on to work in munitions factories. The
government did a deal with the trade
unions, known as the Treasury Agreements. The
unions agreed to accept female labour in place of
men for the duration of the war.
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Key points The introduction of conscription in
1916 led to an increase in the number of women
employed in all sectors of the economy.
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Key points Many women were paid good wages,
especially in munitions factories, but in most
cases they were paid lower rates than
men. Improved wages did permit greater
independence for some women.
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Key points Women became more visible in the
world of work. They were seen to be doing
important jobs.
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Key points Women were in great demand for the
caring side of employment and became nurses in
the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, and drivers
and clerks in Voluntary Aid Detachments.
Nurse Corps
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• After the War
• 1 Women were expected to give way to men
  returning from the forces and return to pre-war
  womens work.
• 2 The assumption that a womans place is in the
  home returned.
• 3 The percentage of women at work returned to
  pre-war levels.
• 4 More women than before worked in offices.

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• After the War
• 5 Shorter skirts and hair became fashionable.
• 6 Women went out with men without a chaperone.
• 7 Women smoked and wore make-up in public for the
  first time.
• 8 In 1919 being female or married was no longer
  allowed to disqualify someone from holding a job
  in the professions or civil service.

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Key points Suffragettes stopped all
militant action in order to support the
war effort.
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• Key points
• 19th Amendment granted the right to vote to women.