American Women during WWI

During World War I so many men left to fight that there wasn't nearly enough to keep factories functioning, so the government turned to the women.  Women went from being the home makers to truck driver's, building tanks, plowing fields, and thousands of other jobs they were never thought capable of doing.  This greatly affected their lives, not only were they making money, but they were realizing that they could do so much more than cook and clean.  World War I also marks the first time women were able to enlist in the military, granted they were mostly nurses, but this was a great opportunity to show their strength.  Nearly 13,000 women enlisted in the Navy and the Marine Corps.  Even thought when the war ended the women went back to their previous lives, their achievements did not go unnoticed.  Many began to realize that they had severely underestimated the capabilities of women, and this was another push on their goal of equal rights.