women and war

• During the war, how many women joined the armed forces?

  300K
• During the war, how many women joined the workforce?

  7M
• How many women were aircraft workers?

  1 in 3
• Why were women often given the difficult welding jobs in awkward parts of aircraft bodies?

  they were smaller and more agile than men
• In the munitions and electronics industries, 1 in 2 workers were women
• In a government survey, what percentage of US Plant managers said that women were the best workers?

  60%
• Why were women not always welcomed by their male colleagues or trade unions?

  they thought they were a threat to men's pay and jobs
• Women earned less than men for the same work. How much less?

  60%
• What other jobs did women do during the war?

  scrap collection, volunteering as nurse aids and planting victory gardens
• Why did war work put a strain on family life?

  women had to juggle the demands of work and family
• Why did women have a new outlook on life?

  the money they earned gave them more confidence