1940s: The Junior League Goes to War

Women had rallied to the patriotic call in the first world war, throwing their energies and organizations into war relief efforts at home. Some young women even volunteered to support troops overseas, but few women actually entered the workforce during the nineteen months the United States was at war. When war came again in the 1940s, it was a different story. Women planted Victory Gardens and recycled tin cans, but they also joined production lines, the federal government, and the new women’s branches of the armed forces. More than six million women, including married women, went to work for the first time between 1941 and 1945, mostly in war-related industries. In a world turned upside down, the conflict demanded a massive mobilization of resources. Who better than women, seasoned in volunteer activities, knew how to mobilize themselves and their communities?

“If we and those who come after us have courage and wisdom, we will be singularly privileged to be able to use our physical stamina and youth to look ahead to the time when war shall end and we can help build a lasting peace on earth.” -Nancy Martin, Association President, 1943