Women responded to the call of need the country was displaying by stepping up to fill positions that were traditionally filled by men. Only three million new female workers entered the workforce during the time of the war. Many of these women were already working in lower-paying jobs or were returning to the work-force after being laid off during the depression. Nearly 19 million women held jobs during World War II. World War II was similar to World War I in that massive conscription of men led to a shortage of available workers and therefore a demand for labor which could be filled only by employing women.
During World War I women across the United States were employed in jobs previously done by men. Women workers in the ordnance shops of Midvale Steel and Ordnance Company in Nicetown, Pennsylvania during World War Iīecause the world wars were total wars, which required governments to utilize their entire populations to defeat their enemies, millions of women were encouraged to work in the industry and take over jobs previously done by men.
