Mrs. Ruland's U.S. History Class Project
Effect of WWI on Women's Rights
Webliography
World War I had a profound impact on the role of women in American society. Their jobs changed, their families changed, and their overall way of life had changed. These websites examine the specifics of how their lifestyles were different, during and after the war. Some websites are about the new jobs they took in war time production factories, others show how suffrage eventually gave women the right to vote. If you are trying to study the affect WWI had on women's roles, these websites would be an excellent place to begin.
WWI Thirty Thousand Women Were There
This article focuses on the women who were recruited to work as nurses in the Navy and Army Nurse Corps. Working as nurses allowed the Army and the Navy to infiltrate women into the military workforce gradually, but it took over 20 years for women to be considered an integral part of the military forces.
Where Women Worked During WWI
This website shows how the role of women in the workplace gradually changed. Before WWI, women took jobs in the home, such as maintaining the household and caring for the children. After WWI however, they took more jobs that had been traditionally male dominated. This website is very well organized, grouped into sections, and at the end is a complete bibliography.
Women and War
Links dealing with specific women and their role in World War I. The last set of links, Women's Organisations and Issues, deal with women's role during the war and how they were given more rights due to the shortage of laborers in America and the need for women in drafts. The links contain specific facts and statistics, along with many significant peoples names involved in the war effort and women's rights. (R - You might notice that the spelling of some words is different; this is a British site showing that there was the same types of reactions there also.)
Feature Articles: Women and WWI: Women at the Front: Been There, Done That
This article deals with women from all over the world doing their part to help the war effort. During World War One many women risked their lives for the effort, some even going as far as secretly enlisting in the army, although never in America . Women started their own divisions in the military, specifically in nursing, like the Army and Navy Nurse Corps or helping with communication, like the ‘Hello Girls.' Despite not being able to participate to the extent that males could, women did the best they could to help win the war. (R - This is another British site showing that there was the same types of reactions there also.)
The History of a Hello Girl by Michelle Christides
This site provides information on the role of Hello girls, women who served as switchboard operators, in World War I and their movement to have equal treatment with male soldiers after the war.
Historical Documents: The Nineteenth Amendment
This website is a primary source for the nineteenth Amendment that granted women the right to vote in the United States . It also provides a brief history of the women's civil rights movement.
Wilson- A Portrait | Women's Suffrage
This article concerns President Woodrow Wilson and his reaction to the women suffragists. It shows how his views changed as the protesters grew more numerous and persistent. Prior to the 19 th Amendment, the President had to be careful about handling the issue, but also come to a compromise.
The Women of World War I
A detailed article about the many roles of women during World War I in the United States and Russia , along with a few other European countries. It features information about the support women gave for the country, the army, and government, their works in factories to meet the labor demand, role in army and Navy, peace movements, and new freedoms granted to women due to some of the crises caused by the war like labor shortages.
Women's Suffrage
A website that describes the general fight for women's suffrage. It contains a short, but detailed blurb on how, when, and why women were given the right to vote. It also contains several speeches concerning the importance of women's suffrage and even one by President Wilson to Congress describing how a woman's right to vote is an important “war measure” that “is vital to the winning of the war.”
First World War
This article is about women who were struggling for the suffrage effort throughout World War One. Organizations such as the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) sought to raise further awareness about the suffrage movement. Despite wanting to continue their suffrage efforts, put them aside and postponed all political activity until after the war. This page also discusses the ways in which women pushed the war effort, through taking up factory and unprecedented occupations, to rationing and maintaining families at home. (R - This is another British site showing that there was the same types of reactions there also.)
Last updated March 28, 2006
© Marcella Ruland 1998-2008, All rights reserved
