The Role of Women in World War IIDuring World War II, thousands of women in various countries were deeply involved in volunteer work alongside men. Before World War II, women's role was simply to be wife to her husband, mother to his children, and keeper of the home (Barrow). As World War II raged, women made enormous sacrifices for their families and also took on new jobs and learned new skills. Women were needed to fill many “men’s jobs,” while men went off to fight in wars. Women served with distinction in the Soviet Union, Britain, Japan, the United States and Germany and were invited to join the armed forces, working in factories, hospitals and also on farms to support soldiers fighting the war. During this era, women shouldered the dual responsibilities of running the household and actively fighting on the battlefield. Soviet Union The women of the Soviet Union had demonstrated great heroism during the years of World War II. Soviet law allowed Soviet women to actively participate in all areas of state functions and recognized them as full and equal citizens of the country. Large numbers of Soviet women replaced men in traditionally male jobs. They skillfully performed tasks that had long been considered the exclusive domain of men (Clayton). There were well-skilled women drivers, mechanics, farmers and workers. During World War II, the Soviet Union was the first country to allow women to fly combat missions (Clayton). They were capable of fighting back and even dropping bombs on enemy territory. As leading fighters, they flew dangerous missions and helped fight to defend countries like Belarus, Ukraine, and other republics of the Soviet Union. Young Soviet women not only played an important role in the fight, but...... middle of paper ......its steelworks. Works Cited “American Women in World War II.” History.com. A&E and Web Television Networks. March 20, 2014.Barrow, Mandy. “Women in World War II (WWII).” Women in World War II (WW2). NP, 2013. Web. March 23, 2014. BBC News. BBC and Web. March 15, 2014.Clayton, Chris. “The Soviet woman – a full and equal citizen of her country.” The Soviet woman – a full and equal citizen of her country. NP, 2006. Web. February 26, 2014. “Japanese Women and the Japanese War Effort.” GHN: IEEE World Historical Network. Np, and Web. March 21, 2014. Nazemroaya, Mahdi Darius. “Global Research”. Global research. Np, March 8, 2014. Internet. March 10, 2014. “The role of women in Nazi Germany.” The role of women in Nazi Germany. Np, and Web. March 10, 2014. “1941 Women return to factory work during World War II. » Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Np, and Web. March 23. 2014.