June 19, 1918 - Mary starts her job

Today is Mary's first day at the Eddystone plant of the Midvale Steel and Ordnance Company.  Women's roles during World War I changed.  While continuing traditional domestic duties and predominantly female occupations like nurses, and volunteering for the Red Cross and other organizations in support of the war effort, women's roles also expanded into those traditionally served by men.  The male work force diminished as men served increasingly in the war effort overseas, but new and existing industries dedicated to or retooled for the war effort needed more employees, providing an opportunity for women to fill these roles, as Mary did inspecting triggers at Eddystone.

An interesting review of the role of women in World War I focusing on British women, but similarly applicable to American women can be found at striking-women.org.