New Jersey Women during World War II: On the Home Front and Abroad

While World War II has long been viewed as a pivotal period that allowed women expanded opportunities in the military and the labor force, locally focused considerations have long been left out of the national narrative. New Jersey Women during World War II: On the Home Front and Abroad by Patricia Chappine explores the experiences that detail the wartime narrative of New Jersey women on the home front and abroad and describes the impact these women had as they pushed past gendered social boundaries and joined the war effort in numbers greater than any previous generation of Americans. Through expansive research, Chappine examines the critical role the women of New Jersey played as they stepped into newly formed military branches and entered the labor force in areas never-before open to them, volunteering in staggering numbers. Focusing on the nuances of women’s wartime experience, this book blends the personal with the social, political, and economic climate of New Jersey and the communicated aspirations, uncertainties, and fears of women during World War II to offer new insights into the role they all played.