Women in the armed forces
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe how women's roles changed during the Second World War and explain why their roles changed.
Key learning points
- Before the Second World War, women were expected to take care of domestic matters rather than working.
- If women did work, they were mainly employed in shops, domestic service or nursing - jobs thought to be ‘women’s jobs’.
- In December 1941, women were conscripted for the first time in British history; they could now do ‘men’s jobs’.
- Women worked in munitions, aircraft and tank factories, in shipbuilding or farming.
- Women also joined the armed forces as part of the WAAF, ATS or WRNS.
Keywords
Domestic - things that are to do with the home are described as domestic
Domestic service - working in someone else's home is known as domestic service
Conscription - forcing people to join the armed forces is known as conscription; people in World War Two were conscripted
Common misconception
Pupils may think that only women from Britain served in the armed forces.
Highlight how thousands of women from across the British Empire at the time joined organisations like the ATS to help the British war effort.
Teacher tip
Look up online and share some of the real stories of individual women who served in the armed forces during WWII, they often recall that it was the best time of their lives.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Complete the sentence: Nazi Germany invaded on 1st September, 1939.
Q2.On what date did Britain and France declare war on Nazi Germany?
Q3.How many years did the Second World War last for?
Q4.Which statements about the Second World War are correct?
Q5.From 1939, thousands of children were from their homes in the cities to live with strangers in the countryside.
Q6.Which statements accurately describe the impact of the Second World War after it ended?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Complete the sentence: Things that are to do with the home are described as .
Q2.What is the correct meaning of 'conscription'?
Q3.In what year did conscription start for women?
Q4.Which are correct statements about the types of jobs women did in the Auxiliary Territorial Service?
Q5.Match the acronyms to their correct meaning
the women’s branch of the British Air Force during WWII
the women’s branch of the British Army during WWII
the women’s branch of the British Navy during WWII
Q6.Choose the correct statement about who was allowed to join the ATS, WAAF and WRNS in the Second World War.
To help you plan your 6 history lesson on: Women in the armed forces, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 history lesson on: Women in the armed forces, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Significant turning points: how did experiences differ during WWII? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.