![]() In 1948, Congress passed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, which established women as a permanent part of the military. When the war ended in 1945, the continued existence of women in the military was in question. As a result, WACs were involved in every theatre of war. The WAC was the only branch of the women’s military that was allowed to send members overseas. As a result, women were urged by military officials to maintain their “feminine” appearance by wearing makeup and nail polish. Many people questioned the women’s character and morality. Women, whatever their ethnic background, often had to fight negative portrayals of their involvement in the military. Many other ethnic groups also volunteered for the forces including Native American and Chinese American women. They were barred from serving with the WAC until November 1943 and the navy banned them from serving during wartime. Japanese American women also faced discrimination. Once African American women gained entrance to the WAC, they often faced discrimination. This cap was set by the military to reflect the proportion of black civilians to the total US population. However, the number of black women given places in the WAC was limited to a 10% quota. Initially, the WAC was the only women’s organization that allowed African American women to serve. Although women were given new opportunities and filled over 200 different kinds of non-combat roles, there was still segregation and racism in the groups. ![]() The WAVES, for example, only accepted women between 20 and 36 years old, while the WAC allowed women to enlist up to the age of 50. Each of the women’s groups had different entry requirements.
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