International Women’s Day is more than just a hashtag on social media. It is a day celebrated internationally by at least 100 countries such as Afghanistan, Cambodia, Cuba, Laos, Mongolia, Russia, and Ukraine.
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It has a radical origin with its start with the now defunct Socialist Party of America in 1909 with demands for voting rights, better pay, and shorter working hours. Here are 5 facts of how women contributed to World War 2 in honor of this day that has been celebrated for over 100 years.
Rosie the Riveter was probably the most effective propaganda to recruit women workers for the defense industry during WW2
By 1943, 310,000 women worked in the U.S. aircraft industry, which made up 65% of the industry’s total workforce. Before the war, there had been less than 1% of women working in the industry.
Australian Women’s Land Army (AWLA) was formed in order to feed everyone in the country
Since most of the men were in battlefields fighting the war, women were recruited to do farm work to combat the shortage. Most women who joined AWLA did not have any experience.
There were actually women who served in dangerous roles in the U.S. military
Since the motto of the time was to “free a man up to fight,” many women had to fill other positions in the military from intelligence to nurses to pilots.
In the Philippines, many women picked up their weapons and became guerrillera fighters
They served as frontline fighters to intelligence. One of the fighters Liwayway even wore lipstick before fighting in the frontline.
Comfort women were treated with brutalities by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War 2
Most girls recruited to be “comfort women” were less than 14 years old and were recruited from occupied countries of the Japanese Empire such as China, Korea, Philippines, and the Dutch Indies. They endured rape and torture daily by soldiers. Most of the girls are now women fighting for their reparation and an official apology from Japan.