Between 1940 and 1945, the female percentage of the U.S. workforce increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent, and by 1945 nearly one out of every four married women worked outside the home.
History.com Staff. “American Women in World War II.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2010, www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii.
How did women’s employment during WWII become a temporary empowerment? What short- and long-term changes in women’s lives were brought about by the war campaign of Rosie the Riveter?
Santana, Maria Cristina. “From Empowerment to Domesticity: The Case of Rosie the Riveter and the WWII Campaign.” Frontiers In Sociology, 12 Dec. 2016, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2016.00016/full.
A great look at the involvement of women in the military during World War II. Includes information on the WAC, WAVES, USMCWR, SPARS, WASPS, and nurse corps.
Collected here are images that capture some of what these women experienced and endured during the war. A note: Most of the captions are from the original sources from the 1940s, complete with the frequent use of the term "girl" to describe young women.
Taylor, Alan. “World War II: Women at War.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 11 Sept. 2011, www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/09/world-war-ii-women-at-war/100145/.
Ziobro, Melissa. “‘Skirted Soldiers’: The Women's Army Corps and Gender Integration of the U.S. Army during World War II.” National Museum of the United States Army, 21 June 2016, armyhistory.org/skirted-soldiers-the-womens-army-corps-and-gender-integration-of-the-u-s-army-during-world-war-ii/.
Redman, Samuel. “During World War II, Thousands of Women Chased Their Own California Dream.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 29 Nov. 2017, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/during-world-war-ii-thousands-women-chased-their-own-california-dream-180967357/.
Official website of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. This virtual scrapbook is filled with articles, photographs interviews, and statistics that give you an up-close-and-personal look at the pioneering women who played professional baseball from 1943 through 1954.