HIST103: World History (1600–Present)

During the war, women worked in factories throughout much of the West and East.

The home front refers to the civilian activities during wartime. In the United Kingdom, women joined the workforce to perform jobs that had been typically reserved for men.

Food, clothing, petrol, and other items were rationed. Access to luxuries was severely restricted, although there was a significant black market. Families grew small home vegetable gardens to supply themselves with food, and the Women's Land Army recruited or conscripted over 80,000 women to work on farms.

Civilians also served as air raid wardens, volunteered emergency services, and performed other critical functions. Schools and organizations held scrap drives and money collections to help the war effort. Many items were conserved to convert into weapons, such as fat, to turn into nitroglycerin.

Women joined the workforce in the United States and Canada. These women were called "Rosies" in the United States for Rosie the Riveter. President Roosevelt stated that personal sacrifice and the efforts of civilians at home to support the war were as critical to winning the war as the efforts of the soldiers themselves.

In Canada, the government established three military compartments for women: the CWAAF (Canadian Women's Auxiliary Air Force), CWAC (Canadian Women's Army Corps), and WRCNS (Women's Royal Canadian Naval Services).

In Germany, there were few restrictions on civilian activities until 1943. Most goods were freely available. This was due in large part to the reduced access to certain luxuries German civilians experienced before the beginning of hostilities. The war made some less available, but many were in short supply to begin with.

The civilian population was not organized to support the war effort until comparatively late in the war. For example, women's labor was not mobilized as thoroughly as in the United Kingdom or the United States. Foreign slave labor substituted for the men who served in the armed forces.

American production was the major factor in keeping the Allies better supplied than the Axis. For example, in 1943, the United States produced 369 warships (1.01/day). In comparison, Japan produced 122 warships, and Germany only built three.

The United States also rebuilt the Merchant Marine, reducing the build time of a Liberty or Victory ship from 105 days to 56 days. Much of this improved efficiency was due to technological advances in shipbuilding. The builders welded rather than bolted hull plates, replaced certain metals with plastics, and incorporated modular construction.