In 1942, the US Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard opened their ranks to most women.

Welcome to a new podcast series where we revisit some of our most riveting and educational discussions on World War II. This episode is brought to you by the Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. 

Wartime needs increased labor demands for both male and female workers, heightened domestic hardships and responsibilities, and intensified pressures for Americans to conform to social and cultural norms.

The Unwomanly Face of War is Svetlana Alexievich's masterpiece of women in the Soviet Great Patriotic War.

Despite early challenges to women’s place in the Navy, the WAVES’s establishment as a part of the Navy itself, not a corps or auxiliary like the WAACs, was “precedent-breaking.”