IWM Photo Archive A 7026

Here are some suggestions for activities related to this theme. We have provided a range from you to choose from, and adapt to suit the age and needs of your pupils.

1. Women's Services

Look at the photographs for this section and identify the three armed Services women were involved with during the First and Second World Wars. What would the women's branches called?

• Did any of the Service names change between the First and Second World Wars? This list of services may be useful (.pdf).
  

2. Roles for Service Women

Look closely at as many pictures as you can find and make a list of all the activities which women were doing in the Services.

• Can you identify which service they are in?
  
• Would they have done these jobs prior to the war: were they carrying out roles that were usually done by women?

Thinking about the non-traditional roles that women were carrying out during the World Wars.

• Why was it necessary for women to take over these jobs in time of war?
• What jobs would women not be allowed to do and why do you think this was?
• What uniform did the women wear? Did this change at all?

Discuss the nature of the jobs - what was involved.

• Would you like to have done any of this work?
  

Discuss with your mother, grandmother or carer how they would feel about doing these jobs.

• Is there a difference between what you would consider doing and what older women would want to do?
  

3. Contemporary Women in the Services

Are there any roles or functions that women should not be allowed or trained to do?

• Should women serve on board ship, alongside men?

Ask your students to research these questions, using websites of the Ministry of Defence, The Guardian etc. They could present the case For/Against as a debate.

• Do women fight/go to war in other contexts? What about women who are 'freedom fighters', 'terrorists'?

Use the Background Information for examples of women from the past who have been soldiers, to illustrate this debate.

These and other activities are available to download as pdfs in the Classroom Resources section.