Women During World War I

The period from 1890 to 1920 was called the advanced era of America, the era of industrialization and production growth. Social issues such as working conditions of children and women, public health and safety are becoming the domestic most important issues. Women clubs and organizations such as the Young Woman Christian Association (YWCA) and the National Women's Club Association (GFWC) were established to solve some of these social problems. In order to tackle racial discrimination and other social problems affecting African-American women and their families, we organized the National Coloring Race Improvement Association.

American women are also increasingly discovering the need for equal labor. In 1903, the National Women's Union Association, founded by Jane Adams and Mary Anderson, supported the protection of female workers. When the United States entered the Second World War, the number of women with labor force increased. Their employment opportunities are beyond the traditional women's profession such as education and housework, and now women are engaged in civilian status, sales, clothing and textile factories. During the war, women's work was previously reserved for men including transport and construction, and production of war.

Women are passionate about showing patriotic support for war efforts. During the First World War, 21,498 American military nurses and 1,476 US Navy nurses worked at military hospitals both in the United States and abroad. This is the first time that the Army and Navy military nurses work abroad. In the United States, African Americans live and work in an isolated society. It is reflected in their wartime participation. The National Color College Nurse Association was founded in 1908 to help black nurses fight against racial discrimination. As the pressure to allow African-American women to participate in the Red Cross increased, 18 black nurses stayed at the army bases in Illinois and Ohio, and took care of African-American soldiers and German prisoners of war .

For the first time, a woman who is not a nurse was allowed to join the army to serve the US, so that male soldiers could go abroad. The Navy and the Marines accepted 13,000 active women, but a few were hospitalized by the Coast Guard. These women are mainly in civilian status and have the same rank, responsibilities and interests as men, including the same salary of 28.75 dollars per month. After the war, they were fired brilliantly and were regarded as veterans who are subject to welfare of veterans.

The American expedition forces (AEF) demanded women to supplement their support positions and the Navy decided to adopt women, but the Ministry of War during World War I refused to recruit women. Instead, the military hires women as a private contractor. In response to the request from AEF's commander John J. Pershing, Signal Corps hired a French-speaking female telephone operator to work for AEF. The Army assigned these women to be in the same position as a nurse and asked them to buy a uniform designed by the army. When the war was over and the telephone operator was no longer needed, the army terminated the contract and refused to officially dismiss them because they officially "did not accept" the service.

The big difference between the service of women during the First World War and the past wars was the women's classes involved, in addition to the large participation in these voluntary organizations and efforts. Women who follow the military usually come from the working class of society, but during the First World War women from all walks of life served with different abilities. Upper-ranking women are major founder and members of voluntary wartime organizations, especially because they have sufficient time and money to invest in these efforts. Women of middle and middle classes also participate in these organizations and activities, but as men participate in war, they are more likely to play a role as an army nurse or replace men at home . In American history, women from all stages of the class participated in the war for the first time in some way.