US History

The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)

Women

This collection uses primary sources to explore women&#39;s work on the home front during World War II.

A cartoon by Paul S. Snyder about a mechanic’s practical joke, circa 1942-43: “Ooops! A lady mechanic – I thought it was Sergeant McGinty!”

A 1943 advertisement in Saint Paul, Minnesota, for job openings for female streetcar drivers.

An interview with Pearl James Hill, an ammunition worker and ship welder during World War II.

Hill worked during World War II at an ammunition factory manufacturing hand grenades and later become a ship welder until the end of the war. 

Excerpt from a pamphlet called *Women Come to the Front: Journalists, Photographers, and Broadcasters During World War II*. 

A newsreel of the US preparing more paratroops for battle in World War II, 1944.

This newsreel discusses Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service (WAVES) preparing for war. 

Letters from Beth Puckett to Lewis Puckett, 1945.

Beth Puckett’s husband Lewis served in the US Navy during World War II. This letter provides a glimpse into the life of this wife and mother on the home front.

Transcription:
January 3, 1945
 
My love:
I have worked like a sailor today—hard, & mean! Naturally the house was in a mess after Dirkie and Helen as I had to get it in order. Today was the first clear day in ages and I could really see the dirt! Had to wash some windows and doors and clean off fingerprints. It’s 4:30 now and I just had a bath and have a minute to rest before supper.
 
Mother is having the Baldwin’s down tonight and wants me to come. They are going to fry doughnuts. Right now it doesn’t sound like a charming prospect—but maybe it will later.
 
I have to take the car to Uke Anthony in the morning. It’s jumping as if it gets the gas in spurts. The gas we get now is slightly lousy, I guess, as everybody has the same trouble. Otherwise the old Chevy keeps running along. I wouldn’t want to start to the West Coast on the tires—unless you were there—then I’d ride on the rims or get out and walk!
 
I haven’t heard from Asheville since you left. I wrote you about sending them and receiving from them the Christmas things. I wrote
 
*[page 2]*
 
Christmas day.
 
My Christmas will come when I her that you have your packages—and that they are in good shape.  I don’t see why the heck you haven’t received the watch yet. I’m getting a little irked! And the box with the [narium?] and things you wrote for. You should have five or six packages by now, darn the mail!
 
I got a letter from you! I hope your new C. O. is going to be a real guy. How does it happen there are so many Carolina men in New Guinea? Or have they discovered at long last that they make the best sailors and the best men period! Was certainly relieved to hear that the Reeces were O. K.  And that in 12 months I can start hoping!
 
You’ll never know how much I miss you, darling—especially at this time of day-when I used to know that you would be home in a little while to eat the supper I’d fixed. The most vivid picture I have of you is of one rainy night the first of April. I was my usual crass self and the kitchen was steamy and the children were bouncing around. I was standing



A 1943 photograph of women sitting at a stand in Greensboro, North Carolina selling war bonds and stamps to support the war effort.

A poster highlighting women working in the war industry during World War II, circa 1941-45.

A photograph of a group of women during the 1940s in North Carolina contributing to the war effort by knitting and sewing.

A photograph of two Japanese internee women working with produce in the packing shed at the Tule Lake Relocation Center.

During World War II, the United States interned Japanese American residents of the West Coast regardless of their citizenship status. After Pearl Harbor, they were viewed as a security threat in wartime and relocated to camps in the interior. As this photograph shows, despite the fact that they were held in camp, Japanese internees worked there on agricultural production to support the war effort.

A photo of African American women repairing and conserving clothing for the war effort.

A photograph of a woman working in the naval shipyard in Brunswick, Georgia, 1943.

Questions

1. Select three to five items in this set and use them to describe the diversity of the roles women played on the home front during World War II. 

2. Refer to the [interview with Pearl James Hill](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/world-war-ii-women-on-the-home-front/sources/372), the [pamphlet called Women Come to the Front](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/world-war-ii-women-on-the-home-front/sources/373), the [letters from Beth Puckett](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/world-war-ii-women-on-the-home-front/sources/375), the [photograph of a group of women knitting and sewing](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/world-war-ii-women-on-the-home-front/sources/378), and the [photograph of two Japanese internee women](http://dp.la/primary-source-sets/world-war-ii-women-on-the-home-front/sources/379) to answer the following question: How did racism and sexism influence the participation of women in the war effort on the home front?

3. Using the items in this set, explain in what ways the actions of women on the home front debunk stereotypical myths about women’s roles during the era.


Activity

Take on the role of a Caucasian woman, African American woman, or Japanese woman during the war. Based on the primary source documents in the set, write a letter to your World War II soldier-husband about your experiences on the home front. 

Alternatively, assume the role of your gender. Male students should write to a wife/girlfriend/sister/mother at home asking questions about home and work during World War II. Female students should write a letter to a boyfriend/husband/brother/father explaining their jobs/home life during World War II. 

Teaching Guide: Exploring Women on the Home Front During World War II

Resources

1. [Georgia's Home Front: World War II: Women’s Involvement](http://dp.la/exhibitions/exhibits/show/home-front-world-war-ii/women-involvement), Digital Public Library of America.

2. [American Aviatrixes: Women with Wings: Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs)](http://dp.la/exhibitions/exhibits/show/american-aviatrixes/women-air-force-service-pilots), Digital Public Library of America. 

3. [Women Who Served: The Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS/WASP)](http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/a_people_at_war/women_who_served/wafs_wasp.html), The National Archives and Records Administration. 

4. [Women In WWII at a Glance](http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-glance/women-in-ww2.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/), The National WWII Museum. 

5. [Partners in Winning the War: American Women in World War II](https://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/partners/exhibitentrance.html), The National Women’s History Museum. 

6. [Beyond Rosie the Riveter: Women's Contributions During World War II](https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/world-war-ii/resources/beyond-rosie-riveter-womens-contributions-during-world-war-ii), The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. 

Overview

Women entered the workforce in large numbers during World War II, replacing men who had joined the armed forces. Symbolized by “Rosie the Riveter,” these women significantly changed the place of women in labor and in society. From driving street cars to selling war bonds to working in defense industries, women played an important role in helping the country prepare for and win the war. Through this set, readers will learn about the opportunities and experiences of women laborers on the home front during the war.

English

World War II: Women on the Home Front

world-war-two-women-homefront_01_06f6037e075da31845dabaa8915f51d3.jpg

Courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum via the Smithsonian Institution.

Snyder, Paul S., “Snyder, Paul S.; Arts and Literature, Humor, US Army Air Forces (USAAF),” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/06f6037e075da31845dabaa8915f51d3.

A cartoon by Paul S. Snyder about a mechanic’s practical joke, circa 1942-43: “Ooops! A lady mechanic – I thought it was Sergeant McGinty!”

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 1 of 12 in the Primary Source Set World War II: Women on the Home Front