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Women In World War IILoading...
By Kaitlin Chow
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Background Information
Chapter 2: Women of Significance
Chapter 3: The Codes They Cracked
Chapter 4: The Other Jobs Women Had
Chapter 5: Stats and Other Numbers
Chapter 6: Glossary
Introduction
Chapter 1: Background Information
Chapter 2: Women of Significance
Chapter 3: The Codes They Cracked
Chapter 4: The Other Jobs Women Had
Chapter 5: Stats and Other Numbers
Chapter 6: Glossary
Introduction
World War II had a tremendous effect on the world. It was a horrific time, full of tragedy and loss. The US military alone, suffered over 400,000 dead. Worldwide, an estimated 40 - 50 million people perished. However, some good did come of it. Women started working and gaining more respect. Between 1940 and 1945 five million women entered the workforce, filling the gaps created by departing soldiers. These chapters will walk you through the importance of women in WWII, how they helped, their roles, and how it helped women get to the point of respect they have today. So, let’s dive into WWII.
This map shows where WWII was mainly fought.
Chapter 1: Background Information
September 1st, 1939, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. This would become known as WWll. Before the war, a woman would have little to no respect professionally. They most often would not work outside of their homes; they would get married and work in the household ~ cooking, cleaning, caring for the children, etc. If they did work outside of the home (though it was very uncommon at the time) they would, at most, be paid less than half of what men earned for a comparable position. Luckily, this war would change much of that.
Chapter 2: Women of Significance
One person of high significance is Rosie the Riveter. “Rosie the Riveter was the star of a campaign aimed at recruiting female workers for defense industries during World War II”. Rosie the Riveter was featured on a poster in overalls, her hair tied back and flexing her muscles with the saying “We Can Do It!”, inspiring women to come work in factories to support the men fighting in the war. The “Rosie Campaign'' was a huge success! Rosie became the most well known image for working women, and hundreds of thousands joined the workforce at this time. Inspiration for the poster was believed to be either Geraldine Hoff Doyle, or Rose Will Monroe. Both Geraldine and Rose were factory workers. Either could be the inspiration for the famous Rosie, who do you think it is?
Ann White also had a huge role in this movement ~ she was a code breaker! How did Ann White get here? In November of 1941, Ann got an odd letter from an astronomy professor. This letter contained 2 questions; “Do you like crossword puzzles?” and “Are you engaged to be married?”. The same 2 questions were sent to thousands of women. Around 10,000 women contributed to the code breaking attempts.
Ann White also had a huge role in this movement ~ she was a code breaker! How did Ann White get here? In November of 1941, Ann got an odd letter from an astronomy professor. This letter contained 2 questions; “Do you like crossword puzzles?” and “Are you engaged to be married?”. The same 2 questions were sent to thousands of women. Around 10,000 women contributed to the code breaking attempts.
This image shows some women code breakers in WWII.
Chapter 3: The Codes They Cracked
What is a code breaker? A code breaker is a person who cracks codes to benefit themselves or whom/what they are serving. A code is a system of words & numbers used for secrecy. Code breakers had the saying “Loose lips sink ships”, meaning you have to keep your mouth SHUT. You could not talk about the secret messages, or anything you decoded. This quote also shows that the government was very strict, and had high stakes for the code breakers.
To be a code breaker, it was required to have a strong understanding of math, a good memory, patience, and persistence. These women were the key to winning the war. In fact, it was said by experts that the war would have lasted 2 more years if not for them. Working in a factory and breaking codes were not the only jobs women could have. There were many other jobs on the horizon.
To be a code breaker, it was required to have a strong understanding of math, a good memory, patience, and persistence. These women were the key to winning the war. In fact, it was said by experts that the war would have lasted 2 more years if not for them. Working in a factory and breaking codes were not the only jobs women could have. There were many other jobs on the horizon.