20 Wartime Jobs Filled by Women

Women have filled jobs during wartime for much longer than people often realize. They've nursed the ill and injured, kept farms and family businesses running, and even served in a military branch.

It's believed that the first woman in military service was an indentured servant. Deborah Sampson joined the Continental Army in the 1780s by posing as a man. Eventually, her deception was discovered, and she was honorably discharged by George Washington.

Loretta Perfectus Walsh enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1917 just before World War I broke out. She was one of the first, but Myrtle Hazard and sisters Genevieve and Lucille Baker followed in 1918 when they joined the Coast Guard.

Esther McGowin Blake's oldest son's B-17 was shot down over Europe and was missing. Her younger son was also overseas fighting in World War II. The widow could have been lost in grief, but she enlisted in the Air Force. Blake became the first woman for regular Air Force duty in 1948 and would reunite with both sons as the war ended.

When World War II arrived, women did more than stay home tending to their children and household. Some also served in these military organizations:

• The Army Nurses Corps
• The Coast Guard Women's Reserve (SPARS)
• The Marine Corps Women's Reserve
• The Navy Nurses Corps
• The Navy's Women's Auxiliary Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES)
• The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, later shortened to Women's Army Corps
• Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP)

Whether back at home, on a military base, or in a foreign country, women held a variety of volunteer and paid positions. Learn more about 20 important wartime jobs filled by women. They're in alphabetical order. (Also, read "One of the Most Under-Recognized Roles in Military History" and discover nurses' roles in many of the world's biggest wars.)

With men heading off to war, it left critical factory jobs with no workers. Female factory workers in WW2 were essential. Women filled assembly line jobs doing things like sewing and packing parachutes, packing ammunition, and capping pipes.

A group of multi-ethnic babies are indoors at a daycare. They are wearing casual clothing. They are sitting on the floor and playing with toy blocks.

With women heading into the workforce during the war and men away from their homes, around 25% of married women held jobs during World War II. For that reason, childcare jobs skyrocketed. The U.S. Congress established a universal childcare program in 1943 for companies to set up childcare through "war nurseries."

Universal childcare was paid for through $20 million in government funding. Parents paid about $0.50 to $0.75 per day to ensure their child was fed, entertained, and cared for while they were at work.

During WWII, a mailing went out to women around the country. The letter asked two questions. First, did the woman like solving crossword puzzles? Second, was the woman married or engaged? Single women received an invitation to join the Army or Navy and train to become a military codebreaker.

Their role in times of war involved eavesdropping on communications. Women were highly trained personnel who listened and decoded messages used by the enemy.

Women didn't just work on assembly lines doing small tasks. They also operated much larger pieces of equipment. Female crane operators worked in foundries, military depots, shipyards, and steel mills moving heavy equipment and supplies.

Electricians correctly wire lights, engines, and other electrical components before a plane, ship, or military vehicle goes overseas. Women received training to fill these roles. In addition, they needed to repair the electrical components of planes, trains, and ships damaged in battle.

Clearly, women played key roles in food preparation and preservation during the war. Many women grew victory gardens where excess fruits and produce lowered demand on major food producers. That made it easier for commercial food industries to feed the troops. Food preservation became the best way to store extra crops.

The Women's Land Army had more than 250,000 female volunteers during World War II. Their role was to go to area farms and help with crop production, which bolstered food supplies for the war.

During World War II, the motto "No Mail, Low Morale" came out as military members dealt with frustration and depressed moods from the lack of mail. Years of mail at the European Theater of Operations was backlogged. The Women of the 6888th Central Post Directory Battalion were tasked with getting that mail sorted and delivered.

Female mechanics repaired engines on aircraft, tanks, and military vehicles. At home, female mechanics would work on tractors, family vehicles, and farm equipment. They could also work in manufacturing facilities and local military bases to repair and maintain equipment to keep everything in working order.

Nurses are essential for patient care during times of war. Surgical nurses help surgeons with amputations or extensive surgical repair of bones, organs, and tissue damage. Nurses also help with triaging, wound care, infections, and therapeutic care during recoveries.

As newspapers were a prime source of information on the ongoing war in the 1940s, war correspondents put themselves at risk to capture photos of the realities of war. These jobs were usually held by men, but men left for battle or military training. Women took over these roles as photographers and war correspondents.

Female pilots tested newly constructed aircraft to pinpoint potential issues, flying target planes during anti-aircraft training simulations, or even flying planes to the squadrons. Ann Baumgartner met Earhart as a child and went on to join WASP. She was the first American Woman to pilot a U.S. Army Air Force Jet and was one of many women to test experimental jets after assembly.

Pipefitters install and perform maintenance on piping used for fuel, gas, and water. During wartime, women installed and repaired pipes on ships, commercial buildings, and even homes to ensure that military members and civilians back at home had running water, heating systems, and ship engines and plumbing.

Someone had to make sure train lines were running to get troops to their bases, bring them back home, and keep freight lines moving. Mechanics took care of some of the work, but the nation also needed women to handle tasks like rail maintenance. Female railway workers climbed posts to fix railway lamps that weren't working properly and worked as switch tenders, engineers, and conductors.

Nurses held key roles in WWI and WWII, but there were also Red Cross volunteers and paid employees who helped fill shortages in hospitals and medical facilities. They helped gather necessary supplies like food, medical supplies, and personal supplies. They helped boost troop morale and organized things like blood draws, victory gardens, and the collection of important materials like steel and rubber.

Rosie the Riveter is one of the most famous female workers during the war. This was a field where women were desperately needed. Riveters held essential roles in riveting the sheet metal used to make planes, munitions, trains, and ships. They were also tasked with repairs of damaged sheet metal.

Ships and submarines helped get troops to other countries and played important roles in ocean and sea battles. With men off to war, women took roles in shipyards building ships and submarines needed to bolster availability or replace severely damaged vessels.

Until the war drew many men overseas, transportation specialists' jobs were filled by men. Women started filling these jobs where they coordinated and monitored the movement of cargo, equipment, and troops around the world. Women had to figure out the most efficient, cost-effective ways to get soldiers and other personnel to their outpost with the equipment they needed in a timely manner to help win the war.

Women often worked in military offices and business headquarters handling clerical duties. Military correspondence through mailed letters and telegrams were jobs for female typists. Recordkeeping and filing were other clerical duties performed by women.

Wars are expensive, and U.S. war bonds helped provide the government with the money needed to fund it. These bonds had to be sold, and women took over the roles of war bond salespeople. Women were ideal for the role as many had husbands overseas or, worse, had lost a husband in battle.

Labor shortages in World War II led to a high demand for women to work in the aviation industry. Before the war, only 1% of the workers in aviation were female. It skyrocketed to 65% during World War II. Women welders were essential for plane building, repairs, and maintenance.

Those are 22 wartime jobs filled by women. There are others, and today's workplace continues to evolve. Check out "Bizarre Jobs Created by Climate Change" to see what valuable roles women could fill in the future of work.