The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate.(December 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
v
t
e
Women in war
Ancient
Post-classical
Early modern
18th-century
1800–1899
1900–1939
The World Wars
WWI
WWII
1945–1999
2000–present
David McLellan - Interior of a ward on a British Ambulance Train in France during World War I
Part of a series on
Women in society
Society
Women's history (legal rights)
Woman
Animal advocacy
Business
Female entrepreneurs
Gender representation on corporate boards of directors
Diversity (politics)
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
Economic development
Explorers and travelers
Education
Feminism
Womyn
Government
Conservatives in the US
Heads of state or government
Legislators
Queen regnant
List
Health
Journalism
Law
Law enforcement
Military
Mother
Nobel Prize laureates
Piracy
Positions of power
Reproductive rights
Venture capital
Violence and abuse
Voting rights
Workforce
Exchange of women
Science
Technology
Computing
Engineering
Geology
Medicine
dentistry
in the United States
Organizations
Science
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics
Space
Telegraphy
Arts
Humanities
Architecture
Arts
Art history field
Women's cinema
Dance
Film
"Chick flicks"
Fine arts
Literature
Science fiction
Philosophy
Feminist philosophy
Photographers
Music
Jazz
Punk rock
In Shakespeare's works
Religion
Theological figures
Baháʼí Faith
Bible
Buddhism
Christianity
Catholicism
Mormonism
Opus Dei
Hinduism
Islam
Judaism
Sikhism
Taoism
Popular culture
Comics
Portrayal in American comics
Film industry
Music
Fictional pirates
Speculative fiction
Video games
Gender representation in video games
Sports
Auto racing
Baseball
Basketball
Boxing
Cricket
Curling
Cycling
Fastpitch softball
Football / soccer
Golf
Gymnastics
Ice hockey
Lacrosse
Mixed martial arts
Netball
Paralympic Games
Rodeo
Roller derby
Rowing
Surfing
Swimming
Tennis
Track and field
Volleyball
Winter sports
See also: List of sports
By country
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belgium
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus (North)
Denmark
DR Congo
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
East Timor
Ethiopia
FS Micronesia
Fiji
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Iceland
Italy
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Ivory Coast
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Libya
Madagascar
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Mongolia
Morocco
Myanmar
Nepal
New Zealand
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Spain
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
South Sudan
Sudan
Suriname
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Tonga
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Kurdistan
v
t
e
During both World Wars, women were required to undertake new roles in their respective national war efforts.[1] Women across the world experienced severe setbacks as well as considerable societal progress during this timeframe.[2] The two World Wars hinged as much on industrial production as they did on battlefield clashes.[3] While some women managed to enter the traditionally male career paths, women, for the most part, were expected to be primarily involved in "duties at home" and "women's work," especially after the wars were over.[1] On the other hand, the two wars also victimized women and subjected them to numerous incidences of sexual violence, abuse, and death.[2]
During World War I, women in the Western World, including Europe, Canada, and the United States, contributed to the war efforts on both the home fronts and the battlefields.[2] Women's employment rates skyrocketed in domestic and industrial sectors.[4] Nursing became one of the most popular professions in military employment during these years.[5] In Asia, women's labor in the cotton and silk industries became essential for the economy.[6] Before 1914, few countries, including New Zealand, Australia, and several Scandinavian nations, had given women the right to vote (see Women's suffrage). Still, otherwise, women were minimally involved in the political process. Women's participation in WWI fostered the support and development of the suffrage movement, including in the United States.[7]
During the Second World War, women's contributions to industrial labor in factories located on the home front kept society and the military running while the world was in chaos.[2] Women in the Western World also gained more opportunities to serve directly in their country's armed forces, which they had limited opportunities to do in WWI.[8] At the same time, women faced a significant amount of abuse during this time; the Japanese military systematically raped women across Asia, and Jewish women were physically abused, raped, and murdered in Nazi concentration camps across Europe.[9]
The participation of women in the World Wars catalyzed the later recruitment of women in many countries' armed forces.[10] Women's involvement in these wartime efforts exposed their commitment to serving their country and preserving national security and identity.[10]
^ abAdams, R.J.Q. (1978). Arms and the Wizard. Lloyd George and the Ministry of Munitions 1915–1916, London: Cassell & Co Ltd. ISBN 0-304-29916-2. Particularly, Chapter 8: The Women's Part.
^ abcdWibben, Annick T R, and Jennifer Turpin. "Women and War." In Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict, edited by Lester R. Kurtz. 2nd ed. Elsevier Science & Technology, 2008.
^"What Happened to Women when the Men left". The role of Women in ww1. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
^Greenwald, Maurine W. "Rosie the Riveter." In Encyclopedia of War and American Society, by Peter Karsten. Sage Publications, 2006.
^Wagner, Nancy O'Brien. "Awfully Busy these Days: Red Cross Women in France during World War I." Minnesota History 63.1 (2012): 24–35.
^Hunter, Janet. "Japanese Women at Work, 1990–1920." History Today 43.49 (1993).
^DeBolt, Abbe Allen, and Abbe Allen DeBolt M.S.S. "Nineteenth Amendment." In Encyclopedia of U.S. Campaigns, Elections, and Electoral Behavior, by Kenneth F. Warren. Sage Publications, 2008.
^Manning, Lory. "Military, Women Serving in." In Encyclopedia of Gender and Society, by Jodi O'Brien. Sage Publications, 2009.
^Steitz, Jerstin. "No ‘Innocent Victim’?: Sexual Violence Against Jewish Women during the Holocaust as Trope in Zeugin Aus Der Hölle." Women in German Yearbook 33 (2017): 101–127.
^ abToktas, Sule. "Nationalism, Modernization, and the Military in Turkey: Women Officers in the Turkish Armed Forces." Oriente Moderno 23 (84) (2004): 247–267.
and 29 Related for: Women in the World Wars information
During both WorldWars, women were required to undertake new roles in their respective national war efforts. Women across theworld experienced severe...
Women took on many different roles during WorldWar II, including as combatants and workers on the home front. “More than six million women took wartime...
worldwars, such as the Nine Years' War, theWar of the Spanish Succession, the Seven Years' War, the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the Cold...
two wars became WorldWar II in 1941. Other theorised starting dates for WorldWar II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British...
The causes of WorldWar II have been given considerable attention by historians. The immediate precipitating event was the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany...
women played an important role inWorldWar II (whose Eastern Front was known as the Great Patriotic Warinthe Soviet Union). While most worked in industry...
events over the period of WorldWar II. Timeline of events preceding WorldWar II Timeline of WorldWar II (1939) Timeline of WorldWar II (1940) Timeline...
League of Nations. Members of the United Nations agreed to outlaw wars of aggression in an attempt to avoid a third worldwar. The devastated great powers of...
is a list of war crimes committed during WorldWar II. The Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan) were some of the most systematic...
throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and parts of Asia. One of the deadliest warsin history, it resulted in an estimated 9 million...
The European theatre of WorldWar II was one of the two main theatres of combat during WorldWar II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six...
American womeninWorldWar II became involved in many tasks they rarely had before; as thewar involved global conflict on an unprecedented scale, the absolute...
Riveter became the subject and title of a Hollywood film in 1944. Because theworldwars were total wars, which required governments to utilize their entire...
The List of theatres and campaigns of WorldWar II subdivides military operations of WorldWar II and contemporary wars by war, then by theater and then...
and Canada inWorldWars I and II (3 vol 2006) Frank, Lisa Tendrich. An Encyclopedia of American Women at War: From the Home Front to the Battlefields...
The Monument to theWomen of WorldWar II is a British national war memorial situated on Whitehall in London next to the Cenotaph at the end of Downing...
Thailand officially adopted a neutral position during WorldWar II until the five hour-long Japanese invasion of Thailand on 8 December 1941, which led...
country intheworld participated inWorldWar II. Most were neutral at the beginning, but only a relative few nations remained neutral to the end. The Second...
American merchant ships inthe North Atlantic. Wilson then asked Congress for "a war to end all wars" that would "make theworld safe for democracy", and...
powers. At the end of WorldWar II, many trials of Axis war criminals took place, most famously the Nuremberg Trials and Tokyo Trials. In Europe, these...
The roles of womeninthe Arab world have changed throughout history, as the culture and society in which they live has undergone significant transformations...
The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during WorldWar II (1939–1945) to oppose...
WorldWar II was the deadliest military conflict in history. An estimated total of 70–85 million people perished, or about 3% of the estimated global population...
Global Information
