Women at Consolidated — The Wartime Workforce

The Women Who Helped Build America’s Arsenal of Democracy

During World War II, Consolidated Aircraft—like every major U.S. manufacturer—faced an enormous challenge: a rapidly expanding workload and a shrinking pool of available male laborers due to military enlistment. The solution came from a new and transformative force in American industry: women workers, who stepped into roles once thought impossible for them.

In San Diego, Fort Worth, and other Consolidated sites, thousands of women became machinists, riveters, welders, inspectors, draftsmen, technicians, and assembly-line specialists. Their presence reshaped the company, the city, and the future of American labor.

A Historic Shift in the Workforce

Before the war, aviation production was almost entirely male. By 1943–44:

nearly one-third of Consolidated’s workforce consisted of women
entire production lines were staffed and supervised by women
women held roles ranging from heavy riveting to precision instrumentation
women took leadership positions in training and inspection units

This change was not symbolic—it was structural. The Liberator would not have existed in its wartime numbers without female labor.

From the Household to the Factory Floor

Many women who joined Consolidated had never used industrial tools before. Training centers inside the factories and at local community facilities taught:

riveting and drilling techniques
machining fundamentals
welding and sheet-metal work
blueprint reading
hydraulic, fuel, and electrical system assembly
aircraft inspection standards

These programs were fast, rigorous, and essential to meeting production demands. Women mastered tasks once assumed to be “men’s work,” often outperforming expectations.

Life on the Line

Historical accounts and family recollections describe the everyday reality:

mothers working swing shifts while fathers served overseas
women commuting in groups during blackout restrictions
break rooms filled with laughter, exhaustion, and stories of news from the front
precision teams of female riveters who developed their own rhythmic techniques
friendships formed across backgrounds, cultures, and ages

The factory—noisy, bright, relentless—became a shared world of purpose.

Quality Above All

Women gained a strong reputation for precision and consistency. During the peak of B-24 production:

women dominated inspection teams
female technicians performed detailed control-surface fitting
women often handled the most delicate wiring and instrumentation tasks

Supervisors documented lower error rates in some female-staffed departments, a quiet but powerful testament to their skill.

Changing American Society

The transformation at Consolidated echoed a nationwide shift:

women earned wages far above prewar norms
they gained technical experience that would influence postwar industries
many joined unions and helped shape workplace policies
their work challenged—and permanently altered—traditional ideas about gender roles

Although many women left the factories after the war, the cultural shift remained.
Aerospace, engineering, and manufacturing would never be the same.

A Legacy That Endures

The aircraft built by these women—especially the thousands of B-24 Liberators—flew over every theatre of WWII. Their contributions were not just mechanical; they were moral. They carried the belief that their work mattered, that it helped bring loved ones home, and that it served something larger than individual lives.

Today, their story remains one of the most inspiring chapters in America’s industrial history.

The women of Consolidated didn’t just build airplanes.
They helped win the war.