Throughout history, women have assumed diverse roles during periods of war, contributing to war efforts in various capacities.

In more ancient times, women often accompanied armies on campaigns, primarily taking on roles such as cooking, laundry, and other support tasks as relations or camp followers. They contributed by tending to the wounded, preparing basic medical supplies, and assisting with various logistical needs of the soldiers. Over time, as warfare evolved, women's roles expanded, including work in areas like munitions production by the mid-19th century.

During World War I and World War II, the primary role of women shifted towards employment in munitions factories, agriculture and food rationing, and other areas to fill the gaps left by men who had been drafted into the military. One of the most notable changes during World War II was the inclusion of many of women in regular military units. In several countries, including the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and the United Kingdom in the European Theater, as well as China and Imperial Japan in the Pacific Theater, women served in combat roles, such as anti-aircraft warfare, guerrilla warfare, and direct engagement in frontline battles. Additionally, women were also active in underground and resistance movements.

After 1945, the roles available to women in major armies were significantly reduced. However, beginning in the 1970s, women gradually assumed increasing roles in the military of major nations, eventually including combat positions such as pilots by 2005 in the United States. These new combat roles sparked controversy, with debates centered around differences in physical capabilities between the sexes[1] and issues related to gender identity for both women and men.[2]

History

edit

World War I

edit

Interwar period

edit

World War II

edit

Cold War

edit

21st century conflicts

edit

Contemporary

edit

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Brad Knickerbocker (January 4, 2014). "Just three pull-ups: Too many for women in the Marine Corps?". CS Monitor. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  2. ^ Barton C. Hacker and Margaret Vining, eds. A Companion to Women's Military History (2012)

Further reading

edit
  • Carter, Susanne. “Reshaping the War Experience: Women’s War Fiction.” Feminist Teacher, vol. 7, no. 1, 1992, pp. 14–19. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40545631. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
  • Clarke, R.D., 2022. Women and/in War. In: Kurtz, L.R. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, and Conflict, vol. 2. Elsevier, Academic Press, pp. 332–343. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820195-4.00114-X.
  • Cook, Bernard, ed. Women and War: Historical Encyclopedia from Antiquity to the Present (2006).
  • Elshtain, Jean Bethke. Women and War (1995)
  • Elshtain Jean, and Sheila Tobias, eds. Women, Militarism, and War (1990)
  • Goodall, Heather, et al. “Women and War.” Teacher for Justice: Lucy Woodcock’s Transnational Life, ANU Press, 2019, pp. 145–66. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvp7d59b.13. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
  • Hacker, Barton C. and Margaret Vining, eds. A Companion to Women's Military History (Brill, 2012), 625pp; 16 long essays by leading scholars stretching from the Ancient to the contemporary world
  • Jones, David. Women Warriors: A History (Brassey's, 1997)
  • Pennington, Reina. Amazons to Fighter Pilots: A Biographical Dictionary of Military Women (2003).
  • Salmonson, Jessica Amanda. The Encyclopedia of Amazons: Women Warriors from Antiquity to the Modern Era (1991).
  • Summerfield, Penny. “Gender and War in the Twentieth Century.” The International History Review, vol. 19, no. 1, 1997, pp. 2–15. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40108080. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.