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Did you know that every branch of the military employed women during World War II?

Over 150,000 women served in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. The Navy created the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in 1942. Women in the Coast Guard served in the SPARS (an acronym for the Coast Guard’s motto, Semper Paratus, or “Always Ready), and in the Marines as the Women Marines. Nurses were also an essential element of the war effort, with about 59,000 women serving in the Army Nurse Corps and many more serving as nurses in the Navy.

Each branch of the military used different tactics to persuade new recruits to join, but many used recruitment posters. These posters and advertisements are interesting because they illustrate the social expectations for women in this period even while promoting an experience that would give women new opportunities outside of these expectations. In addition, they also show some of the devices used to persuade women to join.

In this activity, students would be able to explore different women’s auxiliary recruitment posters posted in different areas around the classroom. When prompted, students would go and stand next to the poster they think is most persuasive. Then, students could get a few minutes to work together to come up with what they think the poster is trying to communicate.

Some questions to prompt discussion might be:

• What is the main message this poster is trying to communicate?
• What element of the poster catches your eye first?
• Are there any “hidden messages” in this poster? For example, do these posters show anything about expectations for women in this period?
• If the poster is in color, do the chosen colors have any specific meaning?
• If there is any text on the poster, how does it add to the persuasive elements of the imagery?
• Why would this poster be persuasive to a woman during World War II?
• Does this poster contain any messages for men as well? What messages might women’s auxiliaries want to send to men during this period?
• What types of people are being represented in this poster (ethnicity, body types, appearance, etc.)? What does this say about who the military is for, and who it is not?

After students work in their groups, they can share out with the rest of the class. Students can be invited to change their vote of “most persuasive” after a group makes their case. When all groups have shared, explore the winning poster as a whole class. What makes this poster more persuasive than the others? Does this poster tell you the whole story about what it is like to be a woman in the military? If you were a woman living in this time period, would this poster persuade you to join the military?

Have you ever done an activity like this with your learners? How does involving a more active approach (such as getting up and moving around the classroom) help students to engage with primary sources?