Jewal Mazique, worker at the Library of Congress,
giving her blood for plasma  Credit: Library of Congress |
During a blood drive, 1000 volunteers responded and the Red Cross handled ten donors every 15 minutes.  Credit: Library of Congress |
Children State a Patriotic Demonstration, Southington, Conn.
Credit: Library of Congress
| To help overcome opposition to women in "men's" jobs, campaigns to recruit women workers stressed that production work called for domestic skills. If a woman could sew, she could rivet. If she could put together a pie, she could work on assembly line. Public relations campaigns -- even children’s toys -- emphasized patriotism, encouraging women to enter the workforce so their husbands, brothers, sons, and fathers could return home sooner. |
The volunteer efforts of women saved servicemen’s lives and improved military morale. Women worked as volunteers for the Red Cross collecting blood and making surgical dressings. Millions of Americans saved soldiers’ lives by donating blood at Red Cross facilities nationwide. Women’s organizations promoted member participation in these activities. |
 “Kitchen Lore Speeds War Production,” an article in Independent Woman recounting how women drew on their homemaking experiences to contribute ideas that saved time, money and materials Credit: Business and Professional Women/USA |
Junior Red Cross
Credit: American Red Cross
| Women’s Bureau leaflet “What Job is Mine on The Victory Line?” tells women how to transfer their household skills to manufacturing and inspection jobs in war production jobs. Credit: Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor |
 |
