The Role of Women in

the Second World War

7.5 million women

mobilised
In factories
On the land
In the auxiliary services
Voluntary services
Family life disrupted
husbands, children

Armed Forces

Womens Auxiliary
Territorial Service

Set up 1938
Paid two-thirds the wages of men
Initially given traditional female roles
e.g. cook, clerk, storekeeper
Later expanded to jobs such as
welders, electricians, military police

Contributed to the Anti-Aircraft

Command ack-ack

Could do everything apart from

firing the gun!

Womens Auxiliary Air

Force

Formed June 1939

Admitted women
aged 17-44
Undertook the
same jobs as men
apart from flying

Barrage balloons

Radar stations
Air Transport Auxiliary Service

Womens Transport Service

(FANY)

First Aid Nursing Yeomanry

First aid link between front line and
the field hospitals
As well as transport, these women
worked on coding and signalling

Womens Royal Naval

Service

Formed in 1939
Duties extended
beyond conventional
roles in 1941
Some women flew
transport planes
Key role in D Day

Womens Land Army

Formed July 1939

Hard work
Poor conditions
Essential to the
nations survival

Womens Voluntary
Service

Running salvage
drives
Collecting clothes
Harvesting rosehips
Running information
centres
Running rest centres
and canteens

Because of the pail, the

scraps were saved,
Because of the scraps,
the pigs were saved,
Because of the pigs, the
rations were saved,
Because of the rations,
the ships were saved,
Because of the ships, the
island was saved,
Because of the island,
the Empire was saved,
And all because of the
housewife's pail'

Re-homing people

Looking after old

people

The evacuation of
children

Food leaders

Childrens toy
exchanges
Information leaflet
distribution
Civil Defence
support e.g. ARP
wardens, firefighters,
ambulance drivers
and the like

Industry

During the Second World War the

number of women in the working
population increased by nearly 50%
Produced ammunition, uniforms,
aeroplanes
Pay - considerably less than mens

Special Operations
Executive

Secret agents
Very dangerous
job
Either flown or
parachuted into
France

Odette Churchill
Violette Szabo

Entertainment

Vera Lynn

Gracie Fields

Conclusions

The work of women during World War

Two undoubtedly made a significant
contribution to victory in 1945
Made significant contributions in the
military, in industry, in agriculture and
through a myriad of voluntary services
Hitler refused to allow German women
to work outside the home

Unveiled 2005