I. INTRODUCTION The role of women in American history has evolved a great deal over the past few centuries. In less than a hundred years, the role of women has moved from housewife to highly paid corporate executive to political leader. As events in history have shaped the present world, one can find hidden in such moments, pivotal points that catapult destiny into an unforeseen direction. This paper will examine one such pivotal moment, fashioned from the fictitious character known as ‘Rosie the Riveter’ who represented the powerful working class women during World War II and how her personification has helped shape the future lives of women. II. BODY To understand the significant changes within the role of women, it’s important to look at the position women held in society prior to World War II. In a famously quoted ruling by the United States Supreme Court in a case denying a woman’s right to practice law, the following excerpt penned by the Honorable Joseph P. Bradley in 1873 sums up how women were perceived during that period of time by their male counterparts. Bradley declared, "The paramount destiny and mission of women are to fulfill the noble and benign offices of wife and mother -- this is the law of the Creator" . While many women may agree that the role of wife and mother is a noble one, most would certainly not agree this position would define their destiny. As many women took on a domestic role during this era, by the turn of the century women were certainly not strangers to the work force. As the developing American nation altered the lives of its citizens, both men and women found themselves struggling economically and migrated into cities to find work in the emerging industrialized labor movement . Ho... ... middle of paper ... ...ov/rori/index.htm, 2011 Santoro, Gene., Top Secret Rosies: The Female Computers of WWII. 2011, Volume 25 Issue 6, p.70, Accession Number: 58110946 Siebel, Julia M., Remembering the Riveter. Organization of American Historians. OAH Newsletter, p. 15. 2005 Sorensen, Aja, Rosie the Riveter: Women Working during World War II. Retrieved from http://www.nps.gov/pwro/collection/website/rosie.htm, (n.d.) Triche, Warren, 'Rosie the Riveter' reminder of women's history. Retrieved from http://www.dm.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123248522, 2011. U.S. Supreme Court Center, Bradwell v. State of Illinois. Retrieved from http://supreme.justia.com/us/83/130/case.html, Justia.com, 2011. Williams, Timothy, Geraldine Doyle, Iconic Face of World War II Dies at 86. New York Times Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/us/30doyle.html?_r=2&ref=obituaries. 2010.
Rosie the riveter was the face of recruiting women into the Armed Forces during WWII. The increasing demand for soldiers was not being filled fast enough by just males. As a result, between the years 1940 and 1945, the percentage of female service members increased from 27% to 37%. Even on the civilian side of things, the ratio of married working women outside of their homes increased to one out of every four. The population of women that did not join the war was prompted by Rosie the Riveter’s iconic image to work in one of the many munitions industries throughout the US. In 1943, not only had the female population contributed exponential numbers in support of the war; but women had begun to dominate. Reports indicate that more than 310,000 women worked in the U.S. aircraft industry; this made up more than half of the total workforce. Prior to this moment in history, women’s involvement in the aircraft industry was merely one percent.
“There was much more to women’s work during World War Two than make, do, and mend. Women built tanks, worked with rescue teams, and operated behind enemy lines” (Carol Harris). Have you ever thought that women could have such an important role during a war? In 1939 to 1945 for many women, World War II brought not only sacrifices, but also a new style of life including more jobs, opportunities and the development of new skills. They were considered as America’s “secret weapon” by the government. Women allowed getting over every challenge that was imposed by a devastating war. It is necessary to recognize that women during this period brought a legacy that produced major changes in social norms and work in America.
The film titled, “The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter”, looks at the roles of women during and after World War II within the U.S. The film interviews five women who had experienced the World War II effects in the U.S, two who were Caucasian and three who were African American. These five women, who were among the millions of women recruited into skilled male-oriented jobs during World War II, shared insight into how women were treated, viewed and mainly controlled. Along with the interviews are clips from U.S. government propaganda films, news reports from the media, March of Time films, and newspaper stories, all depicting how women are to take "the men’s" places to keep up with industrial production, while reassured that their duties were fulfilling the patriotic and feminine role. After the war the government and media had changed their message as women were to resume the role of the housewife, maid and mother to stay out of the way of returning soldiers. Thus the patriotic and feminine role was nothing but a mystified tactic the government used to maintain the American economic structure during the world war period. It is the contention of this paper to explore how several groups of women were treated as mindless individuals that could be controlled and disposed of through the government arranging social institutions, media manipulation and propaganda, and assumptions behind women’s tendencies which forced “Rosie the Riveter” to become a male dominated concept.
This also encouraged women since for so many decades they had been repeatedly told that they couldn’t do certain tasks. Until 20 years prior, women couldn’t vote or work. For once women were looked upon as useful. They could work and feel proud of themselves for this work since it was helping their loved ones and their country. Feeling as the inferior gender for so long, this phrase brought hope into the hearts of thousands of women who truly began to believe that they could accomplish anything that they tried to with the right amount of strength and hard work. Although the original purpose of this piece of propaganda was to help the war effort, it also became an icon for the feminist movement. People across the nation perceived woman as weak creatures that were simply men’s sidekicks. However due to the strong and hardworking image of Rosie the Riveter, the audience then associates strong with women, causing a rippling effect into the public’s viewpoint. Sexist opinions began to be changed and strength was associated with women for a change instead of strictly
"Women in WWII at a Glance." The National WWII Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.
During the war, men were off fighting for America, and the women were left behind to take over their jobs in the factories. Women proved that they can do almost all of the same jobs as men. Rosie the Riveter, a picture of a woman flexing with a caption of “We Can Do It,” became the symbol for women all across the nation. After the war, years later, women began to receive equal pay for the same jobs that the men were doing. Many other minority groups, such as African Americans, played a huge
Koussoudji, Sherrie A. and Laura J. Dresser. “Working class Rosies: Women Industrial Workers During World War II” The Journal of Economic History 51.2 (June 1992): 431-446
the Riveter is the female icon of World War II….She represents any women defense worker. And for many women, she’s an example of a strong, competent foremother” (“Rosie the Riveter: real
Women were offered new possibilities especially in the work force. “Rosie the Riveter” became the popular symbol of women who abandoned traditional female occupations to work in defense industries. Women power will be found for economic independence, the aping of men in industrial pursuits, and or joining battle for the military in which “men” are only supposed to join. Inez Saucer, chief clerk in the tool room stated, “The war changed my life completely. I guess you can say, at thirty-one, I finally grew up” (223). World War II gave women a chance to do something different for a chance that eventually led to an increase in divorce. Women employment grew and their place in society did also. They gained the right to vote and began expressing themselves in ways such as politics and
Rosie the Riveter was an icon of a propaganda government campaign designed to encourage and allow women to work for the munitions industry, and this was an leadership act of feminism. Rosie the Riveter always showed her characteristics of a leader by encouraging a large number of women to do the male jobs such as operating construction machinery, building airplanes, and so on to support the war, because women can work just as hard as men. Rosie the Riveter was not just one woman, but the society of women protesting for their rights to work in World War II. The act of this feminist campaign contained brilliant leadership skills that lead to this day, giving women more rights. Leadership skills possessed in this situation, and must be possessed
During the time of 1940-1945 a big whole opened up in the industrial labor force because of the men enlisting. World War II was a hard time for the United States and knowing that it would be hard on their work force, they realized they needed the woman to do their part and help in any way they can. Whether it is in the armed forces or at home the women showed they could help out. In the United States armed forces about 350,000 women served at home and abroad. The woman’s work force in the United States increased from 27 percent to nearly 37percent, and by 1945 nearly one out of every four married woman worked outside the home. This paper will show the way the United States got the woman into these positions was through propaganda from
Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States. She represents the American women who took the jobs of the men during world war 2. They sometimes got entirely different jobs because the spot needed filled. Rosie the Riveter is used as a symbol of feminism and women?s economic power. The world wars were total wars that required governments to utilize their entire populations to defeat the enemies. This meant that millions of women were encouraged to work in industry and take over jobs previously done by men. Both world wars were similar in these ways because most of the men went to war. Nearly 19 million women held jobs during world was 2. Many of these women were already working before the war. Only three million new female workers
Hymowitz, Carol, and Michaele Weissman. A History of Women in America. New York: Bantam, 1978. Print.
During the Great War and the huge amount of men that were deployed created the need to employ women in hospitals, factories, and offices. When the war ended the women would return home or do more traditional jobs such as teaching or shop work. “Also in the 1920s the number of women working raised by fifty percent.” They usually didn’t work if they were married because they were still sticking to the role of being stay at home moms while the husband worked and took care of the family financially. But among the single women there was a huge increase in employment. “Women were still not getting payed near as equally as men and were expected to quit their jobs if they married or pregnant.” Although women were still not getting payed as equally it was still a huge change for the women's
Women filtered into jobs that were originally held by men, proving themselves capable of doing so called “men’s work.” During wartime, “Rosie the Riveter” became a symbol for women in the workforce. It was used by the U.S. government as a form of propaganda to both, recruit women into the labor field and generally boost morale. The image was relatable to middle-class housewives across the country, as it pictures a pretty blonde white woman, who is ready to work, along with the phrase “We Can Do It!” This called women to action, and gave them a purpose outside of their nurturing