Women making ammunition in WWI. // Public Domain
By: Jacqueline Zappey Some people don’t know that women have been serving in our nation’s military since the American Revolutionary War; women would disguise themselves as men to serve in the war and even led other soldiers into battle. This continued through the Civil War. Women also supported war efforts in other capacities as nurses, cooks, washed clothes and sewed uniforms. During World War I, women continued to serve because of a need for more able bodied military members. Due to a vaguely stated section of the Naval Act of 1916 which outlined who could serve created a loophole allowing women to join the ranks as Yeomen, noncommissioned officers.
Yeomans performed clerical and administrative duties such as filing paperwork, keeping records and sending correspondence.
Around 12,000 women joined the reserve forces to replace men on shore duty so the men could go off to fight on the front lines.
FreedomSisters Magazine
These women received equal pay to their male counterparts (Women in World War I, n.d.).
