Women

• Japan entered the war - December 1941


  Australian participation changed from that of Britain’s ally to that of a country engaged in its own national defence.
• From 1942 onwards, the working woman was visible in demand and (briefly) had higher status than the housewife
• Voluntary work

  • Knitted balaclavas, gloves, jumpers, and socks
  • Organised entertainment for servicemen on leave
  • 300 women trained with the Women’s Emergency Signalling Corps
• Voluntary work (WANS)

  • Formed the Women’s Australian National Service
  • Drove and serviced army vehicles
  • Trained in air-raid drills, first aid, and basic military drills
  • Specialised training in shooting, signalling, and mechanics
• The Auxiliary of the National Defence League of Australia made most of the camouflage netting needed to disguise military equipment and potential targets from enemy aerial surveillance
• Voluntary work (Red Cross)

  • Raised money to fund its free blood transfusion service
  • Provided books and toiletries for wounded men
  • Some women provided medical support services in hospitals
• From 1939-43, women’s participation in the paid workforce increased by 31 per cent
• Doing ‘men’s work’ roles

  • Worked in factories for food and steel production
  • Became bus drivers
  • Drove delivery carts and vans
• Japan’s entry in the war and Singapore's fall in 1942 created high demand for munitions
• Prime Minister John Curtain called for the extensive employment of women, but stated their employment was ‘only for the duration of the war’
• Doing ‘men’s work’ - Munitions

  • Made bullets
  • Made anti-tank shells
  • Employed in universities and government laboratories in optical munitions
  • Took measurements, did complex maths for lenses
  • Designed and ground lenses
  • Tested optical instruments
• Significant contributions to Australia’s wartime production

  • Binoculars
  • Bomb and gun sights
  • Cameras
  • Periscopes
  • Range finders
  • Telescopes
• AWLA roles

  • Organised women to do men’s farm work
  • Members had to be British, aged 18-50
  • Paid by farmers not the government
  • Took a 4 week training course
  • Could join for 12 months as full members
  • Could join as auxiliary members doing seasonal work in their own areas
• Women in the military:

  • Just under 80000 women enlisted in Australia’s military service.
  • 5% of them enlisted overseas.
  • A number of Aboriginal women took over domestic duties and served as hospital orderlies within the military.
  • Some women were concerned military service would undermine their femininity.
• WAAAF roles

  • Worked in communications on the ground
  • As wireless and telegraph operators
  • Undertook mechanical repair work
• By 1944, the WAAAF employed 18,000 women
• WRANS roles

  • Interpreters
  • Wireless telegraphists
  • Coders
  • Typists
  • Clerks
  • Drivers
• The Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service began in 1941
• The Australian Women’s Army Service began enlisting women in November 1941
• By the end of 1941, the AWAS had 31,000 recruits
• AWAS roles


  • Worked in communications
  • Maintenance
  • Transport
• 100 AWAS members served at Cowra
• The Australian Army Medical Women’s Service began in December 1942
• AAMWS roles


  • Worked in nursing
  • Radiography units
  • Laboratories
  • Assisted with dental, clerical, and kitchen tasks
• AANS was the only Australian women’s group to serve overseas during World War II
• AANS roles


  • Served on land
  • Hospital ships
  • Transport ships
• In 1942, 65 AANS nurses were on the Vyner Brooke when it was bombed by the Japanese
• In 1943, eleven AANS nurses died when a Japanese submarine sank the AHS Centaur off the Queensland coast
• Australians often ridiculed women for attempting "male" work
• Archbishop Daniel Mannix and other church leaders criticized the government and employers for encouraging married women into the paid workforce
• Despite patriotic appeals, women did not enter the workforce in the needed numbers
• The Australian Women's Land Army and military services paid only "women's wages," which were lower than men's
• Low wages and poor conditions in traditional factory work were unattractive to women
• Neither the government nor employers made allowances for the double burden of women's responsibilities at home and in the workplace
• Women juggled housework, childcare, and shopping alongside their work in factories and essential services
• Some people criticized working women for not adequately caring for their children while working
• The Women’s Employment Board

  • Employers initially benefited from paying women only 54% of the male rate
  • Trade unions feared women's cheap labor would undermine men's job security
  • The ACTU campaigned for equal wages for women
  • The Commonwealth Government worried that equal pay for women would lead to broader demands for wage improvements
  • In March 1942, the government created the Women's Employment Board (WEB)
  • About 9% of female workers benefited significantly from the WEB
• Employers resisted the WEB by refusing to pay the rates or reclassifying women's work
• Women responded with work stoppages, threats, and complaints to union organizers
• Women preferred jobs that paid WEB rates over traditional lower-paying work