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Women's Role In Ww2

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On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor, killing thousands at the base and prompting the United States to declare war against Japan. The United States joined the Allied Powers in World War II and their presence helped to turn the tides against Germany and the Axis Powers. Upwards of 16 million American men left their homes and joined the military to fight for their country. To fill their places, women took on a multitude of new responsibilities in order to keep the homefront stable and prosperous while the war waged abroad. Encouraged by the likes of “Rosie the Riveter”, women took jobs in industries that were previously exclusive to men, including factories that created weapons and aircrafts used by the military. As needs for soldiers abroad increased, product availability at home was scarce, especially in the aftermath of the Great Depression, meaning that families were forced to ration their food and use …show more content…

Aircrafts, warships, and ammunition were in high demand, meaning that all available resources went to supporting the troops. At the same time, the economic trauma of the Great Depression was still lingering, further increasing resource scarcity. To make matters worse, many countries that had exported goods to the United States were under attack and unable to trade. Families were forced to ration everyday items such as sugar, butter, and crude oil (Beyond Rosie the Riveter: Women’s Contributions during World War II). Mothers were forced to work with whatever rations they could get to provide for their families. Tires and gas were prioritized for the armed forces, making travel much more strenuous and less frequent (Partners in Winning the War: American Women in World War II). These restrictions made life on the homefront much more difficult, but women were not going to complain. They understood that making sacrifices was imperative towards helping the soldiers

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