World War 1 Women Essay

Wartime roles for women have changed greatly since World War I. In WWI, women were not drafted, and were not allowed to fight voluntarily. Today, women are allowed in the military, however, they are still not required to be drafted for war. “Selective Service continues to register only men, ages 18 through 25” (Selective Service System). Since World War I, women’s place in society has changed, which has caused their wartime roles to change. In WWI, the role of women was “providing support for male troops” (Deverell & White 148). On the home front, one million women joined the US workforce. Due to their new positions and the scarcity of labor, women and other groups were able to demand and receive better conditions and wages. The National War Labor Board
In WWII, American women once again were encouraged to fill job positions, including the ones that were seen as “unladylike”, ration food, grow their own victory gardens, etc. (Deverell & White 231). “About 300,000 women served in the armed forces through special divisions” (Deverell & White 231). Their wartime opportunities were still limited, but not as limited as they were in the past. Despite the limitations, they still had more options than the women in Germany, where a woman’s place was at home, and their purpose was to do housework and raise as many healthy Aryan babies as possible for the Third Reich. “The mission of women is the be beautiful and the bring children into the world” (Goebbels). In more recent wars, women have been offered even more opportunities, though still not as many as men. “Today women may also serve in the military as soldiers. They are not allowed to fight in ground combat, but they do serve as guards and pilots and in the navy” (Deverell & White 148). In the Vietnam War, women were not drafted, but many volunteered, some women were fighting in combat, and one even held command (Women in the Vietnam