How Did Women Contribute To The War?
Rough Draft By: Bella Swarr
“Free a man to fight” was a popular slogan for working women during WWII. How did women contribute to the war? When the U.S. was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor, America decided it was time to join the war effort. This required men to leave work and home to fight for their country. Before the war, women who worked had “traditionally female” professions which were sewing, typing, and stay at home mothers raising their children. When war began, “quickie marriages became the norm” as teens were getting married before their men went overseas. When the soldiers left, there were many openings in factories and office jobs that women took. The percentage of females in the workforce increased and the majority of workers …show more content…
Painted by Norman Rockwell and based on a small part of a real-life worker, Rosie became the most iconic image for women working in the workforce. The women with the most credit as Rosie was Naomi Parker Fraley, who worked at the machine shop in Alameda, California. Sadly, Fraley recently passed away in January 2018. Rosie has a red and white polka-dotted bandana wrapped around her head wearing a dark blue collared shirt. She is rolling up her shirt sleeve with her fist in the air, saying “We Can Do It!” in a speech bubble. Rosie looked strong and confident, which inspired women. That same year, the song “Rosie the Riveter” by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb was released and became a huge …show more content…
They were given the nickname “Angels of Mercy” as they assist their injured soldiers! To be a nurse, women had to be between the ages of 21-40, have children over the age of 14, and meet the military health requirements. The war caused female nurses to serve under harsh conditions. For example, at Bataan’s Hospital #2, the patients had to sleep outside. If more room was needed, nurses would chop down bamboo trees and there was a short supply of food so patients and nurses were forced to eat their mules. Nurses risked their lives to help the soldiers in need, they would stay close to to the battle lines so they can care for the hurt soldiers in a shorter amount of time.
During the post-war years, many nurses were denied veteran’s benefits and received very little recognition because they were women. Most nurses were eager to return home while more than 8,000 stayed in the nursing corps. They received PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and depression just like the soldiers and even 79 Army nurses were captured and held as prisoners in the Philippines by Japan. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan honored the World War II nurses at National POW/MIA Recognition
“Free a man to fight” was a popular slogan for working women during WWII. How did women contribute to the war? When the U.S. was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor, America decided it was time to join the war effort. This required men to leave work and home to fight for their country. Before the war, women who worked had “traditionally female” professions which were sewing, typing, and stay at home mothers raising their children. When war began, “quickie marriages became the norm” as teens were getting married before their men went overseas. When the soldiers left, there were many openings in factories and office jobs that women took. The percentage of females in the workforce increased and the majority of workers …show more content…
Painted by Norman Rockwell and based on a small part of a real-life worker, Rosie became the most iconic image for women working in the workforce. The women with the most credit as Rosie was Naomi Parker Fraley, who worked at the machine shop in Alameda, California. Sadly, Fraley recently passed away in January 2018. Rosie has a red and white polka-dotted bandana wrapped around her head wearing a dark blue collared shirt. She is rolling up her shirt sleeve with her fist in the air, saying “We Can Do It!” in a speech bubble. Rosie looked strong and confident, which inspired women. That same year, the song “Rosie the Riveter” by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb was released and became a huge …show more content…
They were given the nickname “Angels of Mercy” as they assist their injured soldiers! To be a nurse, women had to be between the ages of 21-40, have children over the age of 14, and meet the military health requirements. The war caused female nurses to serve under harsh conditions. For example, at Bataan’s Hospital #2, the patients had to sleep outside. If more room was needed, nurses would chop down bamboo trees and there was a short supply of food so patients and nurses were forced to eat their mules. Nurses risked their lives to help the soldiers in need, they would stay close to to the battle lines so they can care for the hurt soldiers in a shorter amount of time.
During the post-war years, many nurses were denied veteran’s benefits and received very little recognition because they were women. Most nurses were eager to return home while more than 8,000 stayed in the nursing corps. They received PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and depression just like the soldiers and even 79 Army nurses were captured and held as prisoners in the Philippines by Japan. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan honored the World War II nurses at National POW/MIA Recognition