Women's Role In World War II

Since the founding of the United States of America, women have been oppressed and thought to be inferior compared to men. Denied civil rights such as voting, owning property, equal pay, and equal treatment in general, women have always been sold short of what they are capable of. However, when the United States entered World War II in 1941, no one was prepared for the social changes that were to occur in the next four years. Scores of men were sent overseas to fight, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of jobs… and hundreds of thousands of wives, sisters, and fiancées who were ready to step up and give what they could to the war effort. This surge in women employment had never been seen before, and instantly the role of women in America began
Often met with criticism from conservative and egotistical men, these brave women carried on with their work for the cause, while simultaneously taking on the job of sole provider for their families. Many women were left with children to feed, a house to take care of, and now had to work six days a week to not only provide for their families, but to do their part in fighting the war. Women on the home front proved to be just as significant to the war effort as the women and men fighting in the military. As the need for a World War II American war effort grew, women of all ethnicities, races, and social groups took on new responsibilities that had previously been reserved for men, such as enlisting in the military, working in wartime industries, and temporarily becoming the sole provider of the household, which inevitably changed the role of women from humble housewife to independent provider and confident
From 1939 to 1945, the number of women in the workforce increased by 60%, making up only a quarter of the workforce in 1940 to a third in 1945 (Brinkley 716). To encourage women to join the workforce on the homefront, the government created a propaganda figure known as Rosie the Riveter. A poster, a song, and an inspiration to many women, Rosie was tough, yet feminine, so the stigma around doing “men’s work” was no longer stopping women from participating. To accompany the idea that women could be tough and feminine, “many factories provided lessons on how to apply makeup, and cosmetics were never rationed during the war, because keeping American women looking their best was believed to be important for morale” (khanacademy.com). The song by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb played on the radio constantly, with lyrics “All the day long, whether rain or shine / She's a part of the assembly line / She's making history, working for victory” (Evans & Jacob) encouraging women to help bring the United States to victory, and the poster of the strong, working woman was displayed everywhere. Before this propaganda was introduced, many