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WORLD WAR ONE- 1914-1918
At the time of the First World War, many women had been barred from voting, and also banned from serving in military combat roles. Many saw the war as an opportunity to not only serve the country, but also to gain many more rights, and independence, something that first wave feminism was all about. With millions of men already away at war, women seeked to help and stand on the front line in whatever way they could. Whilst women were not allowed to fight in the war, they began to fill agricultural and manufacturing positions on the home front. Others provided support on the front line as nurses, as doctors, as ambulance drivers, translators and in rare cases, even on the battlefield. Conditions were dangerous for women to travel into war zones, as they would be at risk of enemy fire, and for many women, this was the first time they had ever left Britain, risking their lives for the sake of our country. Before the start of the First World War, there were around 200 female doctors, compared to the 35,000 female doctors of today, and due to a shortage of trained medical staff during World War One, this left a large hole for women to take up opportunities within a range of crucial roles. Whilst nurses were accepted on the front, women physicians faced obstacles putting their hard earned skills to use. To begin with, life on the front line was considered an adventure. However, all too quickly the reality of the situation began to arise,
the reality that being at war was sadder than the stories they had previously read. The Salvation Army, The Red Cross, and many other organisations began to depend on thousands of female volunteers. During the last Allied offensive in the summer and fall of 1918, many women doctors, nurses and aides operated near the front lines, providing medical care for soldiers wounded in combat. The nations at war began mobilizing their entire populations, because the side that could produce more weapons, and supply the larger troops would prevail in the end. Women began to take on new roles within the workforce, notably in war production, as well as agriculture. In July 1914, 3.3 million women worked in paid employment throughout Britain. By July 1917, this number had risen to 4.7 million. Women served in uniform, in the Royal Navy, and the Royal Air Force. In fact, the last known surviving veteran of World War One was Florence Green, who served in the RAF and died in 2012. In the United States, women began taking what had traditionally been stated as ‘male’ jobs, and African American women were able to take their first major shift from domestic employment (domestic employment includes tasks such as: cleaning, cooking, washing and ironing, taking care of a family), to work in offices and even factories. Recent research shows that a small number of African American women were able to serve overseas,
