December 7th, 1941 started as an ordinary day for many Americans, but they did not know what heartbreak was ahead of them. Women would be left without their husbands, and the United States would be left in destruction and emotional ruin. They would soon be thrust into a World War once again, when Japan staged a surprise attack on American installations in the Pacific. The devastating strike came at Pearl Harbor, and the event dramatically altered every American’s life. On December 8, 1941 Roosevelt declared war against Japan and preparations began to happen. As propaganda and patriotism influenced men to join the war, husbands, brothers, and fathers soon left home to go overseas. Women and children on the home front were left to keep the war effort going by making clothing, rationing limited needed goods, and joining the workforce to build military equipment. Without the help of women and the children carrying out their civic duty, the war effort would not have continued. When PearlyHarbor was attacked, America’s isolation had ended and they were thrust into a war that they did not want to be in once again. As war began to progress, American men were needed for war. Many began registering, however the U.S needed more men. This lead to President Roosevelt declaring the first peacetime draft, which required men eighteen to sixty-four to be registered in war. Deuteronomy 20:4 “For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory”(New International Version). The American military soon began to boom with many registered in the military, roughly ten million soldiers had entered the war through the draft. America now faced a big task of raising and training a credible military force. The military largely consisted of “citizen soldiers” drawn from civilian life. Civilians went through training camps where they endured rigorous physical conditioning. Others were selected for examination where the board would determine if a man was fit enough to join the military. The board would also put the man’s occupation, health, and family situation all into consideration. With the American army gearing up for war, the homefront would be left to the women. When men were leaving their wives, sisters, and mothers. Women were left to tend to the Homefront, they were left with new opportunities and more responsibilities. Once men had gone overseas, factories needed employees and men needed supplies for war. Women in America began going into factories and taking over men’s positions in work. Before WWII, many women had never worked or worked in a man held position. Society regarded women as homemakers, mothers, and if they did work they had “traditionally female professions” such has sewing, typing, secretary, telephone operators, teacher, and few other careers
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However, in the first months of the war women wanted to enlist, but were turned away. Later in the war as the Soviet Union’s army was beginning to fall they needed reinforcement and Joseph Stalin was willing to change the traditional role of women. Universal training schools were set up, women began to learn how to handle rifles and fight; some received top score in marksmanship. Women were beginning to fight on the frontlines, but only in few battles. Although they were not fighting in all battles this was a huge step for woman’s equality. In Britain, training schools were for not yet built for women to be practice combat but, in the spring of 1941, every woman in Britain aged eighteen to sixty were required to be registered, and their family occupations were reordered. Each were interviewed and required to choose from a range of jobs to help with the war. It was not emphasized for women to bear arms in Britain but, many were eventually to bear arms and die under fire. Secretary Francis Perkins said in her monthly labor review as factories converted from “lingerie to camouflage netting; from baby carriages to field hospital carts; from lipstick cases to bomb fuses;…from ribbons and silk goods to parachutes; from beer cans to hand grenade; from vacuum cleaners to gas-mask parts” women—called “production soldiers”—joined in the conversion. Francis Perkins perfectly captured what was happening all across the world during World War Two, and shows how women were participating in the
However, in the first months of the war women wanted to enlist, but were turned away. Later in the war as the Soviet Union’s army was beginning to fall they needed reinforcement and Joseph Stalin was willing to change the traditional role of women. Universal training schools were set up, women began to learn how to handle rifles and fight; some received top score in marksmanship. Women were beginning to fight on the frontlines, but only in few battles. Although they were not fighting in all battles this was a huge step for woman’s equality. In Britain, training schools were for not yet built for women to be practice combat but, in the spring of 1941, every woman in Britain aged eighteen to sixty were required to be registered, and their family occupations were reordered. Each were interviewed and required to choose from a range of jobs to help with the war. It was not emphasized for women to bear arms in Britain but, many were eventually to bear arms and die under fire. Secretary Francis Perkins said in her monthly labor review as factories converted from “lingerie to camouflage netting; from baby carriages to field hospital carts; from lipstick cases to bomb fuses;…from ribbons and silk goods to parachutes; from beer cans to hand grenade; from vacuum cleaners to gas-mask parts” women—called “production soldiers”—joined in the conversion. Francis Perkins perfectly captured what was happening all across the world during World War Two, and shows how women were participating in the