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Women in the Work Force during World War II

Background:.

Women have always worked outside the home but never before in the numbers or with the same impact as they did in World War II. Prior to the war, most of the women that did work were from the lower working classes and many of these were minorities. There were a variety of attitudes towards women in the work force. Some thought they should only have jobs that men didn’t want while others felt women should give up their jobs so unemployed men could have a job, especially during the Great Depression. Still others held the view that women from the middle class or above should never lower themselves to go to work. These and other viewpoints would be challenged with the United States’ entry into World War II.

With men off to fight a worldwide war across the Atlantic and the Pacific, women were called to take their place on the production line. The War Manpower Commission, a Federal Agency established to increase the manufacture of war materials, had the task of recruiting women into employment vital to the war effort. Men’s attitude towards women in the work force was one challenge to overcome but, surprisingly, women’s own ideas about work outside the home had to change as well. Two of the primary sources below deal with arguments to challenge these attitudes.

A number of cities across the nation had a positive economic effect because of the demand for manufactured war materials. In Alabama no city felt a greater impact than did Mobile. An estimated ninety-thousand workers swarmed into the city to work in the local war factories, especially in one of the two shipyards (Gulf Shipbuilding and Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding) or in the ALCOA factory. The ALCOA plant alone would produce 34% of the nation’s aluminum, a metal necessary for the production of airplanes. Men still worked at these plants, but without the women, these plants would have never been as productive or as successful as they ultimately were.

After the war, most women returned home, let go from their jobs. Their jobs, again, belonged to men. However, there were lasting effects. Women had proven that they could do the job and within a few decades, women in the workforce became a common sight. An immediate effect is often overlooked. These women had saved much of their wages since there was little to buy during the war. It was this money that helped serve as a down payment for a new home and helped launch the prosperity of the 1950s.

Classroom Comments:

Many of the attitudes about women in the workforce in the 1940s were quite different than they are today. Have students consider the following:

• Why did the government see a need to convince both men and women about the need for women in the workforce during World War II?
• What were some of the attitudes that men had about women working?
• What were some of the attitudes that women had about entering the workforce?

If a teacher finds unique and effective ways to use these documents in their classroom and would like to share them with other teachers, please contact [email protected] .

Women's Roles during World War II

On the Home Front

In the Military

On the Farm

Working in the Defense Industry

The Women of NASA

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Teachers' Notes

 resource created by derbyshire record office.

This resource will help make pupils aware of the contribution women made during WW2 through war work and as members of the armed forces.

Curriculum Links

• KS2 History:   Study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils’ chronological knowledge beyond 1066
• KS3 History:   Challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day

Learning Objectives

• Knowledge of the various forms of women's war work in WW2
• Understanding of the impact and significance of women's war work
• Skills to analyse propaganda and compare multiple sources

World War Two had a big impact upon the lives of ordinary British women. Thousands were called upon to fill their jobs and do important war work, join the women's armed services or help with volunteer work that contributed to the war effort. This resource uses archive materials from the East Midlands to investigate the experiences of women living during World War Two.

Other potential areas for additional study or independent research on women’s WW2 work, include:

• Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA)
• Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS)
• The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY)
• Munitions workers
• Nursing – (eg. Voluntary Aid Detachment, Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service)
• Special Operations Executive (SOE) – spies
• The Women’s Auxiliary Service - voluntary policewomen
• The Women’s Land Army
• The Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS)
• The Women’s Timber Corps
• The Women’s Voluntary Service (WVS)

Activity Ideas

• Research a woman who was in the WW2 services: If you can, try to find out more about a member of your family or a woman whose story you come across during research, who did some kind of war work in the Second World War (perhaps someone who received a medal) . - What sort of work did she do? - What did her work involve? - Was she conscripted or did she choose to do it? - How did she feel about it? Did she enjoy it? - How many other women did this sort of work? - Did any of them receive medals for their work? - Do women still do this type of work today?
• Creative writing: Which job available to women during the Second World War would you have chosen? Imagine you are a woman doing that job. Write a letter to a family member, describing what you have been doing and how you feel about it.
• Design a recruitment poster: Look at the recruitment posters in the image gallery and on the Leeds University Wiki site (see the link at the bottom of the page) . Design your own poster encouraging women to choose a wartime role. - Try to present the job in a positive light. - Think about the things women may have enjoyed about their wartime jobs. - What sort of reasons might they have had for choosing a particular job? 

Taking Over 'Men's' Work

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History at a glance: women in world war ii.

American Women in World War II: On the Home Front and Beyond

American women played important roles during World War II, both at home and in uniform. Not only did they give their sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers to the war effort, they gave their time, energy, and some even gave their lives. Reluctant to enter the war when it erupted in 1939, the United States quickly committed itself to total war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. That commitment included utilizing all of America’s assets—women included. The Axis powers, on the other hand, were slow to employ women in their war industries. Hitler derided Americans as degenerate for putting their women to work. The role of German women, he said, was to be good wives and mothers and to have more babies for the Third Reich. When the war began, quickie marriages became the norm, as teenagers married their sweethearts before their men went overseas. As the men fought abroad, women on the Home Front worked in defense plants and volunteered for war-related organizations, in addition to managing their households. In New Orleans, as the demand for public transportation grew, women even became streetcar “conductorettes” for the first time. When men left, women “became proficient cooks and housekeepers, managed the finances, learned to fix the car, worked in a defense plant, and wrote letters to their soldier husbands that were consistently upbeat.” (Stephen Ambrose, D-Day, 488) Rosie the Riveter helped assure that the Allies would have the war materials they needed to defeat the Axis.

Nearly 350,000 American women served in uniform, both at home and abroad, volunteering for the newly formed Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAACs, later renamed the Women’s Army Corps), the Navy Women’s Reserve (WAVES), the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS), the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS), the Army Nurses Corps, and the Navy Nurse Corps. General Eisenhower felt that he could not win the war without the aid of the women in uniform. “The contribution of the women of America, whether on the farm or in the factory or in uniform, to D-Day was a sine qua non of the invasion effort.” (Ambrose, D-Day, 489) Women in uniform took office and clerical jobs in the armed forces in order to free men to fight. They also drove trucks, repaired airplanes, worked as laboratory technicians, rigged parachutes, served as radio operators, analyzed photographs, flew military aircraft across the country, test-flew newly repaired planes, and even trained anti-aircraft artillery gunners by acting as flying targets. Some women served near the front lines in the Army Nurse Corps, where 16 were killed as a result of direct enemy fire. Sixty-eight American service women were captured as POWs in the Philippines. More than 1,600 nurses were decorated for bravery under fire and meritorious service, and 565 WACs in the Pacific Theater won combat decorations. Nurses were in Normandy on D-plus-four. At the war’s end, even though a majority of women surveyed reported wanted to keep their jobs, many were forced out by men returning home and by the downturn in demand for war materials. Women veterans encountered roadblocks when they tried to take advantage of benefit programs for veterans, like the G.I. Bill. The nation that needed their help in a time of crisis, it seems, was not yet ready for the greater social equality that would slowly come in the decades to follow. The National WWII Museum recognizes the contribution that women played in the success of the Allied victory in World War II and explores that contribution in depth in its newest permanent exhibit, The Arsenal of Democracy: The Herman and George Brown Salute to the Home Front . 

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Women during the war

An informative resource about the roles of women during World War Two, including the Women's Land Army and the Women's Auxiliary Air force. Includes a writing task contrasting the perspectives of two women in their new jobs.

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Women in World War 2

Subject: History

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

7 December 2023

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World War I I

The aim of this lesson to analyse and evaluate the part played by women in World War 2.

Students will analyse a number of propaganda posters used at the time, with particular reference made to the use of headings, colour, messages and the images used.

Traditional teaching has always focused on work undertaken by women such as nursing, the W.A.A.F. or the Women’s Land Army.

Although the students will learn the about the vital role women played in these jobs, they will also learn about the Special Operations Executive set up by Churchill as he recruited sixty women to operate behind enemy lines to ‘set Europe ablaze’.

There are four case studies to unpick as well as some great video links to accompany the lesson.

The plenary requires the students to match the key word to the images shown.

It is enquiry based with a key question using a lightbulb posed at the start of the lesson and revisited throughout to show the progress of learning.

The resource includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials, and comes in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change.

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Get this resource as part of a bundle and save up to 25%

A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

World War 2 Home Front Bundle

This bundle follows the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum - challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world 1901 to the present day with a focus on the Second World War and the wartime leadership of Winston Churchill. The aims of this bundle are to know and understand how people’s lives in Britain were affected by World War 2 under the guidance of Winston Churchill. I have created, readapted and used these lessons to challenge and engage students, but also to show how much fun learning about this part of history really is. Students will learn and understand key historical skills throughout such as continuity and change in the role and use of propaganda in World War II, the causes and consequences of the policy of appeasement, breaking the Enigma Code or the evacuation of children, the similarities and differences of life on the Home Front, the significance of Winston Churchill and interpretations about whether there really was a Blitz spirit. The lessons are as follows: L1 Adolf Hitler L2 Causes of World War II L3 Appeasement L4 Winston Churchill L5 The Home Front - preparations L6 The Home Front - propaganda L7 The Home Front - rationing L8 The Home Front - women (free lesson) L9 Evacuation of children L10 The Blitz L11 The Enigma Code L12 Prisoners of war (free lesson) L13 Occupation of the Channel Islands This bundle includes retrieval practice activities, suggested teaching strategies and differentiated materials. All lessons come in Powerpoint format if there is a wish to adapt and change. I have also included two free lessons in the bundle to give an idea of what is being offered. I would also strongly recommend you assess students on this unit of study based on GCSE style questions from your chosen exam board.

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How World War II Led Women to Enter the Workforce

• Elizabeth Engel
• Categories : History facts, study sheets & homework help
• Tags : Homework help & study guides

Changes Brought By War

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the lives of many Americans changed instantaneously. Men and women were quickly sent off to war, leaving their current jobs behind in order to protect and serve the people of our great nation. In the wake of their absence, it became apparent that without the lifeblood of our women back at home many of the factories in the United States wouldn’t be able to produce and operate efficiently.

For the first time, the workforce demanded help from women in a much greater capacity. No longer able to stay home and maintain the household, they were called to action to work in factories to help the war effort. Jobs once thought only capable of men were now given to women, who had to find the strength, knowledge, and ambition to excel in their new positions. Throughout the struggle of World War II, society was forced to take notice of the ever-increasing proficiency of women and give greater acknowledgment to their service and support.

Women in the Factories During WWII

Answering the Call

At the start of the war, recruiting women to work was a challenging task. The government wasn’t satisfied with the amount of women that came out and volunteered to work since the demand for help far exceeded the number of women currently in the job market. The struggles of war meant that times were changing, and because of that, the roles of women had to change with them.

A campaign was soon started to encourage participation in factory work and, in time, many more women showed up to lend a helping hand. Before long, even those who had children younger than six years of age were needed and had to hold a job. Many were reluctant to leave their homes and venture out into the labor force, but as the war raged on it became more evident that it was necessary for women to work in order to keep the country on its feet and help our servicemen and women stay strong in the fight for freedom and justice.

The First Campaign…

A fictional character by the name of “Rosie the Riveter” was created and used as a promotional tool to entice women into the job market.

Norman Rockwell, a Saturday Evening Post cover artist, is commonly credited with creating one of the many popular “Rosie the Riveter” images that were used to encourage women to become wartime workers. This lady was pretty and tough, far better than the typical, average American housewife.

She embodied courage and wisdom, strength and conviction, and the desire to help make the world a better place. The idea was to convey and show that women who worked would be thought of as loyal, efficient, patriotic, and beautiful. The campaign was quite successful in helping women find the courage to fulfill their patriotic duty, and it quickly became the trend for society to see dedicated, hardworking women discovering new talents and developing a greater feeling of confidence in their capabilities.

A few verses of the “Rosie the Riveter” song…

Rosie the Riveter

While other girls attend their favorite

cocktail bar

Sipping Martinis, munching caviar

There’s a girl who’s really putting

them to shame

Rosie is her name

All the day long whether rain or shine

She’s a part of the assembly line

She’s making history,

working for victory

Examples of World War II Campaign Posters.

Classroom Activity

Lesson Objective: To give students an understanding of the perception of women during the 1940s and how difficult it was to encourage them to redefine their roles in society.

Present your students with one of two choices:

• If you were trying to encourage women to join the work force during World War II, what would your campaign poster say and why do you think it would be effective? Include a sketch drawing of your idea and present your poster to the class.
• If you were trying to encourage women to join the work force during World War II, what would your song lyrics be and why do you think they would be effective? Recite your lyrics to the class and explain why you chose them.

Points of Teaching

Women who left the home to join the labor force soon found they were performing double shifts, working all day while still having to raise children and clean the home at night. This proved to be a difficult struggle, and in essence, these women really did have to undertake ‘double shifts’ because the work that was required of them encompassed that of two full-time jobs.

It was certainly a tough transition for many women who had children to tend to and a household to properly maintain, but over time, a new and unexpected passion enveloped women and they began to discover the benefits of being employed.They soon found work to be engaging, allowing them to learn new skills, contribute to society in a meaningful way, and prove to many others that the jobs once thought only for men could actually be done just as well by women.

Factory work performed by women ranged from the making of uniforms to ammunition to airplanes. Being able to perform these tasks well helped women develop a stronger sense of pride, knowing that they were now garnering more respect from those around them at home and the men and women fighting abroad.

Although many women returned to their roles as homemaker once the war was over, this did not discount the strides and gains they had made while in the workforce. Life had changed. Women had proven to serve a greater purpose and could fill needs in the job market where they once had been thought unable to manage. When the soldiers came back, it was true that much of life reverted back to the way times were before the war, but after everything was said and done, none could argue the sacrifice women had made during this time of crisis and how many had discovered a newfound respect in their capabilities.

Student Reading Assignment

Included below is a link to an incredible story of a woman who lived during the war years and worked in a factory. She details what it was like to have a factory job and how over time the perception changed about the capabilities of women and how men grew to respect them more. It’s an interesting first-hand account of a woman’s life during the war.

From BBC Home, contritbuted by Peter King, the story of Elsie Church .

Additional Resources

NPS.gov. Rosie the Riveter: Woman and WWII .

NebraskaStudies.org. The Martin Bomber Plant: Women in the Workforce .

World War II: Battle of Moscow

Aided by harsh winter and reinforcements, the Soviets repelled Germany

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• M.A., History, University of Delaware
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The Battle of Moscow was fought Oct. 2, 1941, to Jan. 7, 1942, during World War II (1939–1945). After months of attacks and counterattacks as German forces attempted to overrun Moscow, Soviet reinforcements and a severe Russian winter took a toll on German forces, helping to thwart Germany's plans and leaving its forces exhausted and demoralized.

Fast Facts: Battle of Moscow

Dates: Oct. 2, 1941, to Jan. 7, 1942, during World War II (1939–1945)

Soviet Union Armies and Commanders:

• Marshal Georgy Zhukov
• Marshal Aleksandr Vasilevsky
• 1.25 million men

German Armies and Commanders:

• Field Marshal Fedor von Bock
• Col Gen. Heinz Guderian
• Field Marshal Albert Kesselring
• 1 million men

On June 22, 1941, German forces launched Operation Barbarossa and invaded the Soviet Union. The Germans had hoped to commence the operation in May but were delayed by the campaign in the Balkans and Greece . Opening the Eastern Front , they quickly overwhelmed Soviet forces and made large gains. Driving east, Field Marshal Fedor von Bock's Army Group Center won the Battle of Białystok-Minsk in June, shattering the Soviet Western Front and killing or capturing over 340,000 Soviet troops. Crossing the Dnieper River, the Germans began a protracted battle for Smolensk. Despite encircling the defenders and crushing three Soviet armies, Bock was delayed into September before he could resume his advance.

Though the road to Moscow was largely open, Bock was forced to order forces south to aid in the capture of Kiev. This was due to Adolf Hitler's unwillingness to continue fighting large battles of encirclement which, though successful, had failed to break the Soviet resistance. Instead, he sought to destroy the Soviet Union's economic base by capturing Leningrad and the Caucasus oil fields. Among those directed against Kiev was Col. Gen. Heinz Guderian's Panzergruppe 2.

Believing that Moscow was more important, Guderian protested the decision but was overruled. By supporting Army Group South's Kiev operations, Bock's timetable was further delayed. It wasn't until Oct. 2, with the fall rains setting in, that Army Group Center was able to launch Operation Typhoon, the code name for Bock's Moscow offensive. The goal was to capture the Soviet capital before the harsh Russian winter began.

Bock's Plan

To accomplish this goal, Bock intended to employ the 2nd, 4th, and 9th Armies, supported by Panzer Groups 2, 3, and 4. Air cover would be provided by the Luftwaffe's Luftflotte 2. The combined force numbered just short of 2 million men, 1,700 tanks, and 14,000 artillery pieces. Plans for Operation Typhoon called for a double-pincer movement against the Soviet Western and Reserve fronts near Vyazma while a second force moved to capture Bryansk to the south.

If these maneuvers were successful, German forces would encircle Moscow and compel Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to make peace. Though reasonably sound on paper, plans for Operation Typhoon failed to account for the fact that German forces were battered after several months of campaigning and their supply lines were having difficulty getting goods to the front. Guderian later noted that his forces were short on fuel from the outset of the campaign.

Soviet Preparations

Aware of the threat to Moscow, the Soviets began constructing a series of defensive lines in front of the city. The first of these stretched between Rzhev, Vyazma, and Bryansk, while a second, double-line was built between Kalinin and Kaluga dubbed the Mozhaisk defense line. To protect Moscow proper, the capital's citizens were drafted to construct three lines of fortifications around the city.

While Soviet manpower was initially stretched thin, reinforcements were being brought west from the Far East as intelligence suggested that Japan didn't pose an immediate threat. The two nations had signed a neutrality pact back in April 1941.

Early German Successes

Storming forward, two German panzer groups (3rd and 4th) quickly made gains near Vyazma and encircled the 19th, 20th, 24th, and 32nd Soviet Armies on Oct. 10. Rather than surrender, the four Soviet Armies tenaciously continued the fight, slowing the German advance and forcing Bock to divert troops to aid in reducing the pocket.

Ultimately the German commander had to commit 28 divisions to this fight, allowing the remnants of the Soviet Western and Reserve fronts to fall back to the Mozhaisk defense line and reinforcements to rush forward, largely to support the Soviet 5th, 16th, 43rd, and 49th Armies. To the south, Guderian's panzers (tanks) rapidly encircled the entire Bryansk Front. Linking with the German 2nd Army, they captured Orel and Bryansk by Oct. 6.

The encircled Soviet forces, the 3rd and 13th Armies, continued the fight, eventually escaping east. The initial German operations, however, captured over 500,000 Soviet soldiers. On Oct. 7, the first snow of the season fell and soon melted, turning the roads to mud and severely hampering German operations. Grinding forward, Bock's troops turned back numerous Soviet counterattacks and reached the Mozhaisk defenses on Oct. 10. That same day, Stalin recalled Marshal Georgy Zhukov from the Siege of Leningrad and directed him to oversee the defense of Moscow. Assuming command, he focused Soviet manpower in the Mozhaisk line.

Wearing Down the Germans

Outnumbered, Zhukov deployed his men at key points in the line at Volokolamsk, Mozhaisk, Maloyaroslavets, and Kaluga. Resuming his advance on Oct. 13, Bock sought to avoid the bulk of the Soviet defenses by moving against Kalinin in the north and Kaluga and Tula in the south. While the first two fell quickly, the Soviets succeeded in holding Tula. After frontal attacks captured Mozhaisk and Maloyaroslavets on Oct. 18 and subsequent German advances, Zhukov was forced to fall back behind the Nara River. Though the Germans made gains, their forces were badly worn down and plagued by logistical issues.

While German troops lacked appropriate winter clothing, they also took losses to the new T-34 tank, which was superior to their Panzer IVs. By Nov. 15, the ground had frozen and mud ceased to be an issue. Seeking to end the campaign, Bock directed the 3rd and 4th Panzer Armies to encircle Moscow from the north, while Guderian moved around the city from the south. The two forces were to link up at Noginsk, 20 miles east of Moscow. German forces were slowed by Soviet defenses but succeeded in taking Klin on Nov. 24 and four days later crossed the Moscow-Volga Canal before being pushed back. In the south, Guderian bypassed Tula and took Stalinogorsk on Nov. 22.

His offensive was checked by the Soviets near Kashira a few days later. With both prongs of his pincer movement bogged down, Bock launched a frontal assault at Naro-Fominsk on Dec. 1. After four days of heavy fighting, it was defeated. On Dec. 2, a German reconnaissance unit reached Khimki, only five miles from Moscow. This marked the farthest German advance. With temperatures reaching -50 degrees and still lacking winter equipment, the Germans had to halt their offensives.

Soviets Strike Back

By Dec. 5, Zhukov had been heavily reinforced by divisions from Siberia and the Far East. Possessing a reserve of 58 divisions, he unleashed a counteroffensive to push the Germans back from Moscow. The beginning of the attack coincided with Hitler ordering German forces to assume a defensive stance. Unable to organize a solid defense in their advance positions, the Germans were forced from Kalinin on Dec. 7, and the Soviets moved to envelop the 3rd Panzer Army at Klin. This failed and the Soviets advanced on Rzhev.

In the south, Soviet forces relieved pressure on Tula on Dec. 16. Two days later, Bock was sacked in favor of Field Marshal Günther von Kluge, due largely to Hitler's anger over German troops conducting a strategic retreat against his wishes.

The Russians were aided by extreme cold and poor weather that minimized the Luftwaffe's operations. As the weather improved in late December and early January, the Luftwaffe began intensive bombing in support of German ground forces This slowed the enemy advances and by Jan. 7, the Soviet counteroffensive came to an end. Zhukov had pushed the Germans 60 to 160 miles from Moscow.

The failure of German forces at Moscow doomed Germany to fighting a prolonged struggle on the Eastern Front. This part of the war would consume the vast majority of Germany's manpower and resources for the remainder of the conflict. Casualties for the Battle of Moscow are debated, but estimates suggest German losses of 248,000 to 400,000 and Soviet losses of 650,000 to 1,280,000.

Slowly building strength, the Soviets would turn the tide of the war at the Battle of Stalingrad in late 1942 and early 1943.

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At the end of July 1940 the name was changed from Local Defence Volunteers to Home Guard.

What was the job of the Home Guard?

The Home Guard defended key targets like factories, explosive stores, beaches and sea fronts. At night they patrolled fields in which the enemy gliders or paratroops might land. No one expected them to beat well-trained German soldiers. Their job was to slow them down until the army arrived.

The expected invasion by Germany never came. Instead the main role of the Home Guard was capturing German airmen whose planes had been shot down over Britain. They also guarded munitions factories and aerodromes and checked people's identity cards .

The photograph below was sent to us by Martin Philbrick

Dad’s Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard in the Second World War, written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. Below is a screenshot of a scene from the sitcom.

Further Information

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Woodlands Junior School, Hunt Road Tonbridge Kent TN10 4BB UK

V. I. Lenin

The tasks of the working women’s movement in the soviet republic, speech delivered at the fourth moscow city conference of non-party working women, september 23, 1919.

Delivered: 23 September, 1919 First Published: Pravda No. 213, September 25, 1919 ; Published according to the text of the pamphlet, V. I. Lenin, Speech at the Working Women’s Congress, Moscow, 1919, verified with the Pravda text Source: Lenin’s Collected Works , 4th English Edition, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1965, Volume 30, pages 40-46 Translated: George Hanna Transcription/HTML Markup: David Walters & Robert Cymbala Copyleft: V. I. Lenin Internet Archive (www.marx.org) 2002. Permission is granted to copy and/or distribute this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

Comrades, it gives me pleasure to greet a conference of working women. I will allow myself to pass over those subjects and questions that, of course, at the moment are the cause of the greatest concern to every working woman and to every politically-conscious individual from among the working people; these are the most urgent questions—that of bread and that of the war situation. I know from the newspaper reports of your meetings that these questions have been dealt with exhaustively by Comrade Trotsky as far as war questions are concerned and by Comrades Yakovleva and Svidersky as far as the bread question is concerned; please, therefore, allow me to pass over those questions.

I should like to say a few words about the general tasks facing the working women’s movement in the Soviet Republic, those that are, in general, connected with the transition to socialism, and those that are of particular urgency at the present time. Comrades, the question of the position of women was raised by Soviet power from the very beginning. It seems to me that any workers’ state in the course of transition to socialism is laced with a double task. The first part of that task is relatively simple and easy. It concerns those old laws that kept women in a position of inequality as compared to men.

Participants in all emancipation movements in Western Europe have long since, not for decades but for centuries, put forward the demand that obsolete laws be annulled and women and men be made equal by law, but none of the democratic European states, none of the most advanced republics have succeeded in putting it into effect, because wherever there is capitalism, wherever there is private property in land and factories, wherever the power of capital is preserved, the men retain their privileges. It was possible to put it into effect in Russia only because the power of the workers has been established here since October 25, 1917. From its very inception Soviet power set out to be the power of the working people, hostile to all forms of exploitation. It set itself the task of doing away with the possibility of the exploitation of the working people by the landowners and capitalists, of doing away with the rule of capital. Soviet power has been trying to make it possible for the working people to organise their lives without private property in land, without privately-owned factories, without that private property that everywhere, throughout the world, even where there is complete political liberty, even in the most democratic republics, keeps the working people in a state of what is actually poverty and wage-slavery, and women in a state of double slavery.

Soviet power, the power of the working people, in the first months of its existence effected a very definite revolution in legislation that concerns women. Nothing whatever is left in the Soviet Republic of those laws that put women in a subordinate position. I am speaking specifically of those laws that took advantage of the weaker position of women and put them in a position of inequality and often, even, in a humiliating position, i.e., the laws on divorce and on children born out of wedlock and on the right of a woman to summon the father of a child for maintenance.

It is particularly in this sphere that bourgeois legislation, even, it must be said, in the most advanced countries, takes advantage of the weaker position of women to humiliate them and give them a status of inequality. It is particularly in this sphere that Soviet power has left nothing whatever of the old, unjust laws that were intolerable for working people. We may now say proudly and without any exaggeration that apart from Soviet Russia there is not a country in the world where women enjoy full equality and where women are not placed in the humiliating position felt particularly in day-to-day family life. This was one of our first and most important tasks.

If you have occasion to come into contact with parties that are hostile to the Bolsheviks, if there should come into your hands newspapers published in Russian in the regions occupied by Koichak or Denikin, or if you happen to talk to people who share the views of those newspapers, you may often hear from them the accusation that Soviet power has violated democracy.

We, the representatives of Soviet power, Bolshevik Communists and supporters of Soviet power are often accused of violating democracy and proof of this is given by citing the fact that Soviet power dispersed the Constituent Assembly. We usually answer this accusation as follows; that democracy and that Constituent Assembly which came into being when private property still existed on earth, when there was no equality between people, when the one who possessed his own capital was the boss and the others worked for him and were his wage-slaves-that was a democracy on which we place no value. Such democracy concealed slavery even in the most advanced countries. We socialists are supporters of democracy only insofar as it eases the position of the working and oppressed people. Throughout the world socialism has set itself the task of combating every kind of exploitation of man by man. That democracy has real value for us winch serves the exploited, the underprivileged. If those who do not work are disfranchised that would be real equality between people. Those who do not work should not eat.

In reply to these accusations we say that the question must be presented in this way—how is democracy implemented in various countries? We see that equality is proclaimed in all democratic republics but in the civil laws and in laws on the rights of women—those that concern their position in the family and divorce—we see inequality and the humiliation of women at every step, and we say that this is a violation of democracy specifically in respect of the oppressed. Soviet power has implemented democracy to a greater degree than any of the other, most advanced countries because it has not left in its laws any trace of the inequality of women. Again I say that no other state and no other legislation has ever done for women a half of what Soviet power did in the first months of its existence.

Laws alone, of course, are not enough, and we are by no means content with mere decrees. In the sphere of legislation, however, we have done everything required of us to put women in a position of equality and we have every right to be proud of it. The position of women in Soviet Russia is now ideal as compared with their position in the most advanced states. We tell ourselves, however, that this is, of course, only the beginning.

Owing to her work in the house, the woman is still in a difficult position. To effect her complete emancipation and make her the equal of the man it is necessary for the national economy to be socialised and for women to participate in common productive labour. Then women will occupy the same position as men.

Here we are not, of course, speaking of making women the equal of men as far as productivity of labour, the quantity of labour, the length of the working day, labour conditions, etc., are concerned; we mean that the woman should not, unlike the man, be oppressed because of her position in the family. You all know that even when women have full rights, they still remain factually downtrodden because all housework is left to them. In most cases housework is the most unproductive, the most barbarous and the most arduous work a woman can do. It is exceptionally petty and does not include anything that would in any way promote the development of the woman.

In pursuance of the socialist ideal we want to struggle for the full implementation of socialism, and here an extensive field of labour opens up before women. We are now making serious preparations to clear the ground for the building of socialism, but the building of socialism will begin only when we have achieved the complete equality of women and when we undertake the new work together with women who have been ’emancipated from that petty, stultifying, unproductive work. This is a job that will take us many, many years.

This work cannot show any rapid results and will not produce a scintillating effect.

We are setting up model institutions, dining-rooms and nurseries, that will emancipate women from housework. And the work of organising all these institutions will fall mainly to women. It has to be admitted that in Russia today there are very few institutions that would help woman out of her state of household slavery. There is an insignificant number of them, and the conditions now obtaining in the Soviet Republic—the war and food situation about which comrades have already given you the details—hinder us in this work. Still, it must be said that these institutions that liberate women from their position as household slaves are springing up wherever it is in any way possible.

We say that the emancipation of the workers must be effected by the workers themselves, and in exactly the same way the emancipation of working women is a matter for the working women themselves. The working women must themselves see to it that such institutions are developed, and this activity will bring about a complete change in their position as compared with what it was under the old, capitalist society.

In order to be active in politics under the old, capitalist regime special training was required, so that women played an insignificant part in politics, even in the most advanced and free capitalist countries. Our task is to make politics available to every working woman. Ever since private property in laud and factories has been abolished and the power of the landowners and capitalists overthrown, the tasks of politics have become simple, clear and comprehensible to the working people as a whole, including working women. In capitalist society the woman’s position is marked by such inequality that the extent of her participation in politics is only an insignificant fraction of that of the man. The power of the working people is necessary for a change to be wrought in this situation, for then the main tasks of politics will consist of matters directly affecting the fate of the working people themselves.

Here, too, the participation of working women is essential —not only of party members and politically-conscious women, but also of the non-party women and those who are least politically conscious. Here Soviet power opens up a wide field of activity to working women.

We have had a difficult time in the struggle against the forces hostile to Soviet Russia that have attacked her. It was difficult for us to fight on the battlefield against the forces who went to war against the power of the working people and in the field of food supplies against the profiteers, because of the too small number of people, working people, who came whole-heartedly to our aid with their own labour. Here, too, there is nothing Soviet power can appreciate as much as the help given by masses of non-party working women. They may know that in the old, bourgeois society, perhaps, a comprehensive training was necessary for participation in politics and that this was not available to women. The political activity of the Soviet Republic is mainly the struggle against the landowners and capitalists, the struggle for the elimination of exploitation; political activity, therefore, is made available to the working woman in the Soviet Republic and it will consist in the working woman using her organisational ability to help the working man.

What we need is not only organisational work on a scale involving millions; we need organisational work on the smallest scale and this makes it possible for women to work as well. Women can work under war conditions when it is a question of helping the army or carrying on agitation in the army. Women should take an active part in all this so that the Red Army sees that it is being looked after, that solicitude is being displayed. Women can also work in the sphere of food distribution, on the improvement of public catering and everywhere opening dining-rooms like those that are so numerous in Petrograd.

It is in these fields that the activities of working women acquire the greatest organisational significance. The participation of working women is also essential in the organisation and running of big experimental farms and should not take place only in isolated cases. This i5 something that cannot be carried out without the participation of a large number of working women. Working women will be very useful in this field in supervising the distribution of food and in making food products more easily obtainable. This work can well be done by non-party working women and its accomplishment will do more than anything else to strengthen socialist society.

We have abolished private property in land and almost completely abolished the private ownership of factories; Soviet power is now trying to ensure that all working people, non-party as well as Party members, women as well as men, should take part in this economic development. The work that Soviet power has begun can only make progress when, instead of a few hundreds, millions and millions of women throughout Russia take part in it. We are sure that the cause of socialist development will then become sound. Then the working people will show that they can live and run their country without the aid of the landowners and capitalists. Then socialist construction will be so soundly based in Russia that no external enemies in other countries and none inside Russia will be any danger to the Soviet Republic.

Collected Works Volume 30 Collected Works Table of Contents Lenin Works Archive