Women played an important role in aiding the United States win World War II. World War II was a defining war that changed the way women are viewed in society, before the second world war, women were expected to be housewives or do certain women's job, such as nursing or being a domestic servant or shop assistant. The war changed the world for women forever. When the men were called to fight, women were called upon to take there positions in the word place they served as mechanics, engineers, tank drives, building ships, factories workers, air raid wardens, drive fire engines, plumbers, ambulance drivers, WRVS volunteers and nurses. As women took on variety of roles "recruiters did their best to claim that would not diminish their feminist" (May, 1998, …show more content…
25). Rosie the Riveter was not just one women; she represented a group of women. Rosie the Riveter is commonly used as a symbol of feminism and women's economic power. As an icon, Rosie the Riveter represented the women who worked in the factories and shipyard. These women made a big impact even though they made up of only a fraction of the skill industrial workers during the war. Women that did hard-skilled labor in the United States were know as Rosie the Riveter. This women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military. J. Howard Miller was hired by Westinghouse company's War Production. One of these posters became the famous "We Can Do It!" image. she is standing in front of an American Flag, her muscles flexed, a black lunch pail at her side, her hair pulled up, sometimes shoved
Even though the real-life munitions worker was one of the basis of the Rosie campaign it took on a persona of its own. This persona was a fictitious character that was strong and bandanna-clad (“American Women in World War II”). Rosie was one of the most success recruitment tools in American history, and one of the most iconic images of working women during World War II. The most prominent image of Rosie the Riveter popularized in American culture was the version featured on the “We Can Do It!” posters created by the United States government (Hawkes). The Rosie the government made has a resemblance to Rockwell’s Rosie, but she is less masculine. This propaganda poster of Rosie the Riveter employed by the United States government was popular because she appealed to the sense of patriotism and common goal of the Second World War. Upgraded Rosie also showed that women could retain their femininity and womanhood in their service. Every Rosie the Riveter image played to this prevailing sense of patriotism that abounded in America during World War II. Patriotism was used as a primary motivator to recruit women for war work. Most American women had husbands, brothers, sons, and fiancés fighting on the frontlines of the war, so the women felt compelled to provide to make a contribution as citizens at home. Most of the time woman had to take care of their children and household while
American women in World War II brought significant changes which although people expectation that life would go back to normal they modify their lifestyle making women free of society pressure and norms, because the war changed the traditional way to see a woman and their roles leading to a new society where women were allowed to study and work in the same way than men. Creating a legacy with the principles of today’s society.
Women played an important role throughout American history. They were known in the Civil War to be doing various acts. Women had enlisted in the army as soldiers, spied and gathered information about the enemy, took care of wounded soldiers, traveled and helped within the military camps and even took over their husbands’ businesses. There were many things that they did to contribute to the war just as much as the men did. Even though it was dangerous they still helped whether it was on the battlefield, in a hospital, or at home, they still tried to help out the best they could.
Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon of the United States whom represented the women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom produced military equipment and war supplies. These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military. The symbol of feminism and women's economic power was often amplified through Rosie the Riveter. "Rosie the Riveter" was a popular phrase first used in 1942 in a song of the same name written by Redd Evans. Auto factories were converted to build airplanes, shipyards were expanded, and new factories were built, and all these facilities needed workers. While the men were busy fighting in war, women were dominant in assistance. Companies took the idea of hiring women seriously. Eventually, women were needed because companies were signing large, lucrative contracts with the government just as all the men were leaving for the service. The various elements or figures of Rosie was based on a group of women, most of whom were named Rose. Many of these women named "Rose" varied in class, ethnicity, geography, and background diversity. One specially, who's had the biggest impact of all Rosie's was Rose Will Monroe. Rose Will Monroe, the most influential "Rosie" at the time, represented women during World War II by working most of her time in a Michigan factory.
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.
During the war, women played a vital role in the workforce because all of the men had to go fight overseas and left their jobs. This forced women to work in factories and volunteer for war time measures.
The Rosie the Riveter movement was inspired by a group of women in World War II. Woman worked in metal factories while the men fought in war.
Some new responsibilities that were taken over were becoming telephone operators, drivers, engineers, mechanics, and other jobs in the factories or shipyards. This is the birth of the widely known icon, Rosie the Riveter. Rosie was first introduced in a song in 1942 by Redd Evans and John Jacob Leob. The most familiar line from the song was "that little frail girl can do more than a man can do" (u-s-history.com). The real life version of the icon was Rose Will Monroe who was discovered by Walter pigeon, Hollywood star, while visiting the ford motor company assembly plant. Upon his discovery of Rose, she was lead in a government film that promotes war. Following that, a teen aged telephone operator, Geraldine Hoff, then posed for a painting that was going to be created an artist by the name of Norman Rockwell. On May 29, 1943, Geraldine saw herself in the Saturday evening post as propaganda. The picture featured a woman with a red polka dotted bandana tied in her head, pulling the sleeves of her jean jacket. With a stern face, she appears to be tough saying "we can do it". A little time after, articles
This extra push of persuasion proved to be extremely successful. The U.S. government’s most influential propaganda speech was “Rosie the Riveter.” Rosie the Riveter was “Based in small part on a real-life munitions worker, but primarily a fictitious character, the strong, bandanna-clad Rosie became one of the most successful recruitment tools in American history, and the most iconic image of working women during World War II.” The Rosie the Riveter campaign was very high on the necessity for women to enter the work force for the patriotic benefit of America. Media campaigns were so successful due to the call for actions that were promoted and how well received these campaigns were to the audience of thousands of women. Rosie the Riveter was a prime example of how influential propaganda was to encouraging women to join the war
The iconic “Rosie the Riveter” image was created in 1942 by the artist J. Howard Miller. The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company asked Miller to create an advertisement for their company. He created the image to represent the increase in female workers during World War II and women’s civil rights. Since men were off fighting at war, the woman had to take their jobs. At first, it was only indented for the private use for the company. It wasn’t until the 1970s-1980s that the poster became popular.
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.
The outbreak of World War one changed the life of women who were mainly tied to the life of domesticity. Women were taught to clean, cook and look after the children. However, as the men were being conscripted for the war, women were starting to play an important role in the following three main areas. Women undertook the jobs that only man did but with the men at war, women stepped up and undertook the predominantly male jobs. Other women took voluntary work as their contribution to the war effort. Another area of importance that women undertook was the grueling and the important work of nursing; often in dangerous war zones.
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
In conclusion: WWI was a chance for women to show the world that women can do anything a man can and should be treated as equals. Women made many contributions to the war and paved the way for women to have more rights and freedom today.
...d women’s biological purpose has provided men a source of comparative advantage in work. It is, therefore, natural for most companies to think that women cannot be as capable as men in terms of assuming strenuous or challenging positions because women, by default, become less participative and more vulnerable when they start to have family and children. Apparently, this situation has led to various gender discriminations in the labor market.