Women In The New York Navy Yard During WWII Beginning with the aggressive recruiting methods utilized to bring them in, and ending with the return of men from the war – especially veterans -, women became extremely active in the working force during World War II. This was evident at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where four thousand and six hundred women were employed. Even though they remained employed for up to six months after the war, eventually men did return to their positions, leaving only women veterans still qualified to hold a position there. However, the focus of a speech on this matter by Dr. Sparr was the activity that occurred during these women’s employment.A total of 71,000 were employed at this navy shipyard; but out of this total, only 4,600 were women. At no time did the total of women exceed 8% of the shipyard’s overall population. The shipyard itself was named the New York Navy Shipyard, however a campaign was started to change it to the Brooklyn Navy Shipyard due to its location. This shipyard was the world’s largest industrial employer. The Maine and Missouri were built there, and the Monitor ship was fitted there. Some of the buildings within the shipyard were ones that remained from the Civil War period. Prior to World War II, only 120 women were employed at the shipyard, and their sole occupation was to sow United State Flags.This would all change in 1942, when six million people entered the labor force during the war. The New York Navy Yard built fighting ships, which lead to the recruit of women to their work force. Women began committing to jobs where they welded and riveted. Women in overalls became the attractive ones, and the center of romanticism. The ideal employee at the shipyard was a single, older woman, who could work six days a week for duration of nine to ten hours. In the “first class” of women workers, twelve African-Americans resided among them. Among these twelve...
