The 1950s were an unwelcoming era for women in warfare. The military had many problems recruiting women, and even if they could find women to recruit, they had trouble keeping them once they were enlisted. The 1950s became a critical time in armed forces history.

      President Harry S. Truman finally signed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 after months of bitter congressional and public debate. This act permanently established a place for women in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. To go with this, President Truman also released Executive Order 9981 which mandated racial desegregation of the armed forces.  These measures caused great controversy in the 1950s.

      The American culture of the time relegated most women to low-paying, non-professional jobs and promoted a feminine ideal of domesticity and maternalism.

      The miltary hit a road block very early on in the 1950s. There were not enough people enlisting. They approached women and told them leave their daily lives and enlist into the military. Women were excluded from many jobs. They worked jobs such as personnel and administration with basic training in the areas of etiquette and makeup.

      Pregnancy and marriage greatly contributed to women's attrition rates. Women who became pregnant were automatically discharged and mothers with children under the age of 18 were not permitted to volunteer.

      By the end of the 1950s, the number of women enlisted into the armed forces had increased, but the overall number of enlisted soldiers had dramatically decreased. These factors caused women to stay away from the armed forces in mass.