Women in the workplace: revisiting the production soldiers, 1939‐1945

Abstract

More than any other war in history, the Second World War was a battle of production. The Germans and their allies had a ten‐year start amassing weapons. It was clear that Europe and the USA were playing a game of catch‐up, and it was equally clear that the side with the most aircraft, bombs, tanks and weapons would likely be the side that would win the war. Yet much of the workforce went to war and many women formed the logical alternative, though inexperienced, workforce. This was a culture change – the demands of wartime production had to take precedence over women’s conventional domestic roles, particularly those of married women. Few women in the USA had ever seen the inside of any manufacturing plant, let alone a defense plant, or the inside of a war plane or tank. But as their sisters abroad did, they left their kitchens, learned quickly and were wonderfully successful.

Citation

Cardinali, R. (2002), "Women in the workplace: revisiting the production soldiers, 1939‐1945", Work Study, Vol. 51 No. 3, pp. 121-133. https://doi.org/10.1108/00438020210424253