Women's History Commons^™

A New Heroine: Transforming The Public Image Of The Army Nurse During World War Ii, Vivek Vishwanath

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

In the wake of the Great Depression, the United States found itself propelled into a world war of unimaginable proportions. Apart from its major political and economic consequences, the Second World War also considerably altered the role of American women in society. Mobilization brought millions of women into the paid labor force, and many of these women chose to serve as army nurses. With the highest female salaries of the time, it made sense that nursing became an attractive occupation for young women seeking an education and opportunities to travel. WWII ultimately accentuated the heroic characteristics of the army nurse …