Replication Data for: Rosie the Riveter, Vera the Volunteer: Sexism, Racism, and Female Enlistment in WWII

What influenced women to volunteer for service in the U.S. military during World War II? While previous literature focused on potential intrinsic and extrinsic individual-level motives, we consider the broader structural context that may have played a role in female volunteerism. We leverage original data containing information on all volunteers who served in the U.S. Army during World War II, along with detailed county-level economic, political, and demographic data, to explore patterns of female volunteerism in the military. Our findings suggest that racism and sexism played a role in female volunteerism in many parts of the country, which may have undermined the government’s goals of mobilizing the whole country in support of the war effort.