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Backgrounder
On the home front
Women’s services during the
First World War:
During the First and Second World
Wars hundreds of thousands of
Australia’s men were deployed
overseas. Those who remained at
home contributed enormously to the
war effort, particularly during the
Second World War when everyone was
compelled to make sacrifices and many
volunteered their time and labour.
entire country ushered in an era
of austerity and mass mobilisation
during which Australians everywhere
focused on how they could contribute
to defeating the enemy.
First World War
Manpower (Labour)
» There were no dedicated women’s
services during the First World War
During the Second World War:
» More than 2,000 women served
in the Women’s Royal Australian
Naval Service (WRANS)
» More than 21,000 women enlisted
in the Australian Women’s Army
Service (AWAS)
» More than 27,000 women served in
the Women’s Australian Auxiliary
Air Force (WAAAF)
More information
» www.ww2australia.gov.au
» www.awm.gov.au
» Home Front: Australians in
World War I – published by the
Department of Veterans’ Affairs
available for purchase from
www.awm.gov.au/shop
A few months into the war, the
Australian economy started to flounder.
Imports and investment dried up, prices
rose, and unemployment doubled.
Voluntary work
Those who were unable to
contribute full-time to the war effort
offered their services to voluntary
organisations including the Australian
Red Cross, the Young Women’s
and Men’s Christian Associations
(YWCA and YMCA) and the Country
Women’s Association, local soldier’s
comforts funds and a variety of other
local or national organisations.
Paid work
Voluntary work ran parallel to an
equally vast paid workforce. Factory
workers turned out rifles, uniforms,
ammunition and small warships, while
military hospitals were built to treat
wounded and ill soldiers.
Women joined the Australian Army
Nursing Service (AANS) and also took
jobs in banks and offices.
The men who stayed behind joined
the Citizen Force and rifle clubs in
large numbers.
Second World War
P02264
In the early years of the Second World
War many Australians continued
their day-to-day lives while coping
with rising prices and unemployment.
After Japan entered the war, the
home front and the fighting front
could be one and the same. The
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Nurses continued to play an increasingly
significant role and served in hospitals
and military medical establishments
around the country and overseas.
Thousands of women took the place
of men who had joined the armed
forces, working in munitions and
aircraft factories, textile trades, and
food processing. Rural production
also increased to feed Australians
at home and overseas as well as the
American troops who were starting
to arrive in large numbers. Women
took over running family farms while
others, often from urban areas, joined
organisations such as the Australian
Women’s Land Army (AWLA).
Women in the armed forces
Significantly, women joined the
armed services in roles other than
nursing in large numbers. The
Women’s Australian Auxiliary Air
Force (WAAAF), Australian Women’s
Army Service (AWAS), Australian Army
Medical Women’s Service (AAMWS)
and Women’s Royal Australian Naval
Service (WRANS) were formed in
1941-1942, allowing men to be freed
up for overseas deployments.
Post-Second World War
The contribution of men and women
on the home front was vital to
Australia’s war effort. However,
when the war ended, women were
expected to return to their prewar roles, often in the domestic
sphere. While many maintained
their involvement in voluntary and
charitable organisations, most
industries resumed employing men in
the post-war era.
For more information contact DVA Media
+61 (0) 2 6289 6203 www.dva.gov.au
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