Women Needed

The proof that World War II was by nature even more of a total war than the first world war are the WACs and the WAVEs that served. The WACs, or the Women's Army Corps, was first created in 1942 because the war took such a toll that there was a shortage of men. Over 150,000 were put in uniform for this total war, despite initial concerns that it was not a women's job. The WAVES, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, were accepted straight into the Navy in 1942. By 1943, there were 27,000 women serving in the continental United States and eventually other overseas locations. These two programs show that WWII had a much larger effect on the entire globe than first world war did. During WWI, women were kept at home or in factories, making supplies for the war, but none of them actually saw any combat. The second war war was so consuming that social norms were set aside and women had to step up and serve.