When it comes to studying the impact American women had in
World War many historians look solely at the numbers. Historians look at the
number of women who joined the work force, the number of planes, ships,
bullets, parachutes, bandages, and any other necessity these women produced
that made Allied victory possible. Yet,
these women who took up new jobs in fields they never imagined, had an impact
on history that goes beyond Allied production and victory. These women, who
stayed behind to support the war effort by joining the work force, also
witnessed the transformation of America, specifically the transformation of
small towns that became centers for war production. Such a case can be made for
the town of Mobile, Alabama.
Like so many American towns, Mobile went from a small,
sleepy American city to a booming war production hub seemingly overnight.
Before World War II began the work force in Mobile was around 17,000 men and few
women. By 1943 Brookley Air Field would employ that many civilians by the end
of the War and local ship building industries would employ over 30,000 workers
by 1944. Before World War II women’s occupations were limited to administrative
or teaching jobs where the average salary was around $800 a year. With the
onset of war came a demand for ships, planes, artillery, and endless demands for
support supplies. These goods required the skilled labor of welders and
mechanics. At Huntersville or Redstone Arsenals women found jobs on assembly
lines that paid around $1,400 annually. Shipyards in Mobile also hired laborers,
paying $3,600 annually. These jobs provided unimaginable salaries and the
chance for many to move to a new city and start a new life.
One such woman was Emma Bell Petcher. After graduating high
school Petcher wanted a chance to put her love of mechanics to the test.
Petcher breezed through the mechanics tests and secured a job working on
airplanes. Petcher is just one example of women moving to take advantage of
defense jobs in America. These women saw not only the value of their work and
impact, but the American economy transform from the depths of the Great
Depression to the vibrant booming economy of World War II. The economic boom
would continue in the 1950’s with the War’s ed. It was due to the help of the
six million women who entered the workforce that this economic boom was
possible.
With workers came families. This caused the population of
Mobile to more then double during the War from 110,805 in 1940 to 201,369 in
1944. With the great influx of workers came a housing shortage unseen in
Mobile’s history. People were living in tents in vacant lots. Boarding houses
would have four men per room or rent beds to multiple men and women with
differing shifts. Oftentimes both men and women in the same family would take
up a defense job, leaving childcare a much-needed commodity in Mobile. Thus,
women ushered in and witnessed the evolution of day care in America. Day care
centers were viewed as patriotic, promoting a safe place for loving mothers to
leave their children as they went off and produced items needed to win the War.
Women who manned and operated day care centers were viewed as protectors of
liberty and praised for providing a service that allowed women to help win the
War. Day care was not a practice forgotten after the War. Women would continue
to use and work at day care centers after the War and into the later part of
the twentieth century showing how the War gave women the tools needed to pursue
both career and family.
The women of Mobile during World War II also witnessed
many domestic events and policies that would help shape the remainder of the 20th
Century. Mobile’s location in the Deep South made Mobile subject to Jim Crow
laws. These racial regulations kept many black American citizens from taking
advantage of defense jobs in the early days of war production. However, on June
25, 1941 President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, banning racial
discrimination in the defense industry. This was the first step toward equal
opportunity employment in America, and women of all races, in Mobile witnessed
the unrest and success this order brought. After the order was issued many
small fights broke out in shipyards and factories in Mobile. Governor Chauncey
Sparks called out 150 state guards to keep the peace, this created a precedent
of having to use police and state troops to keep the peace as integration began
and established itself in the defense industry. Segregated workspaces brought a
peace and successful routine to the workforce in Mobile. However, Americans
such as Thurgood Marshall and A. Philip Randolph were pushing to make the Fair
Employment Practice Committee a permanent fixture in the Federal Government. It
was the women of America, who stayed behind to serve and work who witnessed
these milestone moments that would reshape America in the 1950s and 1960s.
The women of World War II Mobile gave their all to help
American men win victory across the globe. The hundreds of thousands of hours
spent in factories and shipyards gave the Allies and edge the Axis powers
simply could not match. Yet, the women of Mobile also witnessed several key
events and practices put into place during World War II that would shape the
remainder of the twentieth century. Advancements in training, work assignments,
childcare, and civil rights gave women new platforms to stand on after the War
ended. These issues would also go on to be displayed on the national stage in
the post-modern era. While it is important to remember and note the millions of
supplies American women built and assembled to help the Allies win the war, it
is equally important to note the transformation they witnessed and played a
role in during World War II.
-Olivia
