Women of World War I: All You Need to Know about Their Role in the War

Women lined up in World War I. Author Zackerson21. Wikimedia Commons

Women of World War I: All You Need to Know About Their Role in the War

The majority of writing about women in the First World War tends to focus on their roles as nurses or workers on the Home Front, with few studies examining the militarization of women that took place during those four and a half years. However, in both world wars, women were compelled to take on new responsibilities, which had both positive and negative effects on society. There was a manpower shortage in many industries, and industrial output was as crucial as ground battles. Despite this, some women were able to work in sectors that were previously dominated by men.

Here we look at Women of World War I: All You Need to Know About Their Role in the War.

1. They Were Recruited To Fight Alongside Men

In 1914, when warfare was mostly a man’s world, the idea of women fighting alongside men seemed unthinkable. But, by the war’s end, more than 200,000 women had publicly joined to serve their country. The majority of women were kept away from the Front and out of harm’s way, yet history regularly distinguishes between men’s and women’s experiences during the fight.

Read more about 10 Famous Women Of World War II.

2. Women Were Also Involved In Leadership Positions

Small but considerable numbers of women actively sought out leadership positions, helping to close the gender gap. Early in the conflict, these women established volunteer units in spite of hostility from their governments and the armed services. This was particularly common among the middle class who were able to establish organized groups and were even able to garner support from the donor community.

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3. They Served In Volunteer Organizations

VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) fitters at work on a car at Etaples. Author McLellan D (2nd Lt). Wikimedia Commons

The Volunteer Aid Detachment program in Britain was created to provide medical help for the country’s home defense, despite the fact that their head Katharine Furse formed a number of medical contingents in France. Notwithstanding War Ministry denials, the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry carried out autonomous operations in both Belgium and France. Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm, known as The Ladies of Pervyse, founded a first aid station in the Belgian Yser region at the same time and frequently went into the trenches and even no-land. Men started their own hospitals and started treating soldiers and civilians along the Western and Eastern Fronts when qualified female doctors were denied commissions in the military medical services.

4. Women Provided Auxiliary Services During The War

Members of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps stand in front of a notice board to read their orders. Author John Warwick Brooke (1886–1929). Wikimedia Commons

The overwhelming number of men who participated in the conflict has long hidden the involvement of these women. The closing years of the war saw the swift growth of the battlefield rendering even base camps and hospital cities insecure, despite the fact that the women were kept out of the trenches. This resulted from the quick development of air power and long-range artillery. Other countries also created similar auxiliary services for women, such as the US Navy’s female Yeoman and the French “Hello Girls,” who answered the phone for the US Army. The only country to have a women’s combat brigade is Russia. During a period of political unrest and widespread army desertions in 1917, the Provisional Government of Russia founded the all-female Women’s Battalion of Death unit. An attempt was made to degrade the

5. They Served At The War Front As Nurses

Käthe Buchler – Braunschweig in World War I (6). Author Käthe Buchler. Wikimedia Commons

Nearly the only female contribution that required being at the front and experiencing the conflict was nursing. The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, Volunteer Aid Detachment, and Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps were all established in Britain prior to World War I. Before 1915, VADs were not permitted on the front line.

6. They Were Employed As War Laborers

The people of the warring countries were enlisted. The side that could produce more troops and weaponry would ultimately prevail. Women in the labor adapted to additional responsibilities, especially in the manufacture of agricultural and military goods.

In 1914, there were hardly any women working for the German weapons company Krupp. Over 1.4 million German women were employed as war laborers nationwide by 1917, making up about 30% of the 175,000 employees. The number of women working in the British arms sector has increased. In July 1914, 3.3 million women in Britain were employed. By July 1917, there were 4.7 million. Women have served in uniform in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy.

7. African American Women Were Able To Start Working In Offices

World War I was a blessing in disguise for African American women. For the first time, they were able to make their first significant transition from domestic chores to work in offices and factories as women took up conventional male jobs in the United States. A small percentage of Black American women served overseas as YMCA volunteers, according to a recent study.

8. Every Housewife In The US Had To Affix Their Signature To A Commitment Card

Nonetheless, even women who took on more traditional duties contributed to the war effort. Every housewife in the US had to affix their signature to a commitment card pledging to “carry out the directions and advise of the Food Administrator in the administration of my family, to the extent that my circumstances permit.” In order to do this, it was necessary to grow vegetables in the backyard, preserve food for later use, and consume less meat, bread, and fats. In particular, women were

9. They Were Involving In Farming While The Men Were Fighting

A female agricultural laborer oversees cows about to be milked at a British farm during the First World War. Author Guy Eric. Wikimedia Commons

Someone had to bring in the crop and maintain the farms while so many men were fighting. The government came to the opinion that more women were required to labor in the agricultural and industrial sectors to aid in the war effort. This objective was made possible by the Women’s Land Army since the men who frequently worked on the farms either never came back or did so injured. Women in the WLA complained that “Their feet were never dry even in dry weather,” among other things. Due to their early morning shifts, the dew from the grass would seep into the boots through the lacing holes.