“It’s a Woman’s War, Too”: The Women of WWII

During the course of WWII, more than 200,000 women served in the United States military, while over six million flooded the American workforce. In addition, countless women, single and married, supported the Allied war effort through activities such as civic campaigning, planting victory gardens, and rationing. As men went off to battle, women were also needed for non-combat jobs such as switchboard operators, telegraphers, mechanics, and drivers. In this lesson, students will explore the many essential roles that women carried out during World War II, analyzing the social, cultural, and economic impacts this movement had on American society. 

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“It’s a Woman’s War, Too”: The Women of WWII
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Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 

In the course of the lesson, students will:

  • Students will gain an understanding of the many ways that American women contributed to the war effort during World War II.
  • Students will gain an understanding of the social, cultural, economic, and military impacts made by women's efforts during World War II.
  • Students will analyze primary and secondary sources in order to determine the central idea
  • Students will cite textual evidence to analyze these sources.
Essential and guiding questions: 
  • What contributions did women make to the war effort during WWII?
  • How did these contributions contribute to a shift in the attitude regarding the role of women in American society?
  • What were the short and long-term impacts of this movement? 

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Applying
Extension suggestions: 
  • Have students locate a woman in their local community who lived during WWII, and have the students conduct an interview to create an oral history project on the individual.
  • Have the students create a children’s book that tells the story of a woman living during WWII. They could choose to write it from a variety of perspectives and even illustrate it and present to a group of students in a lower grade level.
  • Have students create an original propaganda poster to recruit women for a particular job/task during WWII. 

Helpful Hints

Materials Needed:

  • Copies of the KWL Chart
  • Copies of, or computer access to the following primary sources:
    • Rationing Means a Fair Share for All of Us
    • Gasoline Alley Comic Strip about Women in Industrial Work During World War II
    • United States Women Chalk Up Proud Year Both at Home and on Battlefront
    • These Pictures Show How WAVES Replace Men for Duty on Sea and in the Air
    • I'll Carry Mine Too!: Trucks and Tires Must Last Till Victory
    • Women in Industry: Will the Gal Who Has Your Job Keep on Working After the War or
    • Does She Think Her Place is in the Home
    • Abbie an' Slats Comic Strip About Women in the Military
    • Use it up- Wear it out- Make it do!
    • At the Twilight’s Last Gleaming
    • Essay submitted by Rubye L. Fowler, United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve
    • Killed in crash: air crash kills Cornelia Fort Women in the Workforce During World War II
  • Copies of the “Gallery Walk: Women in WWII” Graphic Organizer
  • A copy of the writing prompt