Conscription and Womens Roles

Conscription - Women

From Spring 1941, every woman in Britain aged 18-60 had to be registered and their family occupations recorded. Each was interviewed and required to choose from a range of jobs, although it was emphasised that the women were not required to bear arms.

In December 1941, the National Service Act (no2) made the conscription of women legal. At first, only single women aged 20-30 were called up, but by mid-1943,  almost 90 per cent of single women and 80 per cent of married women were employed in jobs that helped the war effort.

Conscription - Changing Roles

The main civil defenses for women were Air Raid Precautions (ARP), the fire service, and women's voluntary serviced (WVS). To begin with the…