The History Channel published a web article overviewing the military and factory roles that women took on during WWII. This is a good starting point for research into the topic, as it covers multiple facets of the military and factory roles of women. Core concepts and key documents have hyperlinks to related webpages as well as linked citations. This source was created and is updated by History.com, a reputable site. Originally published in 2010, it is updated regularly by the site editors. This article is split into several parts, each focusing on a different aspect. This site is a commercial enterprise with a series of ads below the article, but the company has a good reputation and the information within is verifiable. This is intended to be accessible by a general audience. I found this source by searching for “wwii women’s war effort” on Google.

Beyond Rosie was developed from a 2012 travelling exhibition by members of the Department of Museums, Archives, and Rare Books at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Julia Brock is the director of interpretation for the Museum of History and Holocaust Education, Jennifer Dickey is the coordinator of public history and assistant professor of history, Richard Harker is the outreach and education manager at the Museum of History and Holocaust Education, and Catherine Lewis is assistant vice president of Museums, Archives and Rare Books. This book contains mostly primary documents with commentary on why they are included and their significance to women in WWII. This anthology has works pertaining to factory workers, women’s auxiliary services, work on the home front, espionage, and opportunities in journalism, medicine, and government. It contains a variety of primary sources, including texts, photographs, posters, oral histories, film script excerpts, and federal documents. This is a great starting point for research into women during WWII due to the variety of sources included and the annotated bibliography. First published in 2015, it has one edition. It is intended for students, in the later years of high school or in college. I found this resource on WorldCat by searching for “world war ii factory women”.

The Home Front Encyclopedia is a three volume work about the United States, Britain, and Canada home fronts during World Wars I and II. This is a great resource for those looking for specific information about a topic or person related to either World War. The first two volumes cover the first and second world wars, respectively. The third volume contains reproductions of primary source materials, basic chronologies and glossaries for each conflict, and an extensive bibliography with an index. The first two volumes contain over 600 entries and are arranged alphabetically in two sections: biographies and topics. The third documents volume has 32 documents relating to the first World War and 40 documents relating to the second. It is edited by James Ciment, a scholar who has produced a number of other acclaimed reference books, and Thaddeus Russell, an assistant professor of history at Barnard College, Columbia University. First published in 2006, it has one edition. This encyclopedia is intended for undergraduate and general readers. I found this resource on WorldCat by searching for “homefront world war ii”. 

This primary source anthology contains resources related to propaganda directed toward women, women in defense manufacturing and military women, as well as how the war continued to effect women after its end. This source is an excellent starting point for beginning research into working women during WWII because of its introduction section detailing aspects of the topic with references, and the selected bibliography. It also contains an index and front matter. The author and editor, Lynn Dumenil, has written multiple books and journal articles on American history and is a professor of American History, Emerita, at Occidental College. First published in 2020, it has one edition. This reference book is divided into two main parts: the introduction and the documents. The documents are further sectioned into six basic topics: propaganda, oral histories, unions, the second shift, military women, and after the war. There is front matter, but no index. This work is intended for students, high school and college, and the general reader. I found this source on WorldCat by searching “homefront world war ii”.

This encyclopedia covers the lives of women who participated in the war effort. The focus is on American women, but British, French, and Russian women are mentioned as well. The efforts covered include official and semi-official military organizations, civilian defense manufacturing, rationing, volunteering, and more. This is a high quality reference book on the general subject of women during WWII. The author, Doris Weatherford, has written multiple acclaimed books on women’s history and has won multiple awards for those books. First published in 2010, it has one edition. The 263 entries are ordered alphabetically. Entries are about both topics and individuals. It begins with the list of entries and an introduction, and there is a bibliography and index at the back of the book. Each entry includes several “see also” references and a list of sources. The text is supported throughout by photos, cartoons, and posters. This is intended for a general audience. I found this source by searching “world war 2 women in factories reference book” in Google.

The National Women’s History Museum has an online exhibit about the many different roles that women took on during WWII. This exhibit covers war efforts on the home front, in the military, on the farm, in the defense industry, in NASA, and the propaganda under it all. This is a great introduction to the many roles women took on during WWII. These articles were written in 2017, and there is no indication of updates. The webpage links out to six articles, each one about one of the war efforts listed above. The articles are supported by contemporary images, and have the works cited as well as additional resources and discussion questions at the end. The website and the organization is nonpartisan and nonprofit. The author of the articles, Dr Kelly A Spring, is an accomplished history scholar with a focus on food, gender, and WWII. This is intended for students. I found this source by searching “womens efforts wwii” in Google.

This work focuses on the efforts of women specifically from Minnesota. This chronology brings a unique perspective on the impact of WWII on the average American woman. It covers all aspects of the work of Minnesotan women through the eyes of those women, including those working as military nurses, WASPs, and WACs, on the home front in defense factories and victory gardens, as well as looking at the events following the war. Virginia Wright-Peterson, the author of this chronology and of two other books, has taught writing for more than 20 years and is on the administrative team at the University of Minnesota Rochester. First published in 2020, it has one edition. The book is divided into five sections, all containing five chapters except the first section, that has four chapters. The information is arranged chronologically. There is a short preface, and a WWII timeline, source notes, and an index at the back of the book. This is intended for a general audience. I found this source by searching “world war ii wasp” on WorldCat.