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The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter: 1941-1945
The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter: 1941-1945
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Rosie the Riveter and the Story behind Her Well-Known Image
If there is one World War II poster that depicts the working woman, Rosie the Riveter is it. “Rosie the Riveter” initially stemmed from a song written by Evans and Loeb in 1943. Rosie the Riveter was produced by Westinghouse in support of the War Production Co-Ordinating Committee. Rosie was brought to life by the artist Norman Rockwell and made her national debut on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. The phrase “We Can Do It” dawns the top of the brightly colored yellow print, while a female wearing blue-collared overalls and a red bandana fills the rest. She represents the women in the work force with a show of confidence, strength and independence. Rosie the Riveter’s poster
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image is “aimed at recruiting female workers for the munitions industry” (History, 2010). Historical Background In order to fight in any war, the United States needs a multitude of soldiers to be effective.
“…the government began to mobilize tens of millions of soldiers, civilians, and workers — coordinated on a scale unprecedented in U.S. history” (Henretta, 734) in order to fulfill those needs. Citizens of every gender, race, region and economic status were called on to serve their country. Calling on millions of war-worthy citizens left the labor jobs in a major deficit. The jobs could not be left unfilled and so someone had to do them. Due to the high employment demand, citizens willing to work were offered higher wages and better working conditions. Posters made during this time were intended to gain the attention and interest of potential employees. After approximately ten years, the economy was finally, “operating at full capacity, the breadlines and double-digit unemployment of the 1930s were a memory” (Henretta, 735). The goal of growing and building a larger work force is what led up to the creation of Rosie the Riveter and her widely known …show more content…
image. Historical Importance The historical importance of the “We Can Do It” slogan and campaign is staggering.
Women went from being stay at home house wives who took care of the children, to playing a crucial role in the economic development of the country. Women were able to fill a various amount of jobs from factory workers to the armed services. “Women made up 36 percent of the labor force in 1945, compared with 24 percent at the beginning of the war” (Henretta, 735). Between the years of 1940-1945, the women work force increased from 37 percent to a total of 64 percent overall (History, 2010). 50 percent of these working women took up jobs in the defense industry. Even though women were not able to fight on the front lines, they still played a significant role in the war by helping to build the B-17 bombers amongst other war related items such as bombs and tanks. Not only did the Rosie the Riveter campaign empower women to become employed, but it also led the way for other women’s groups. With the support of Eleanor Roosevelt as First Lady, the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (later known as the Women’s Army Corps) was founded in May of 1942. The Navy had the same concept when they created the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES). There was also a group of women, named Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, who were able to be the, “…first women to fly American military aircraft” (History, 2010). The “We Can Do It” movement paved the way for women in more ways than one. Rosie the
Riveter acted as a guide and a role model for the women of the 1940’s. Females were able to get out of the house and were able to act as bread winners for their families while their husbands and fathers were away at war. Working allowed women to see that they are more than just housewives and cooks and that they have the capabilities to do bigger and better things. Working allowed women to create a way for themselves. They were also able to network, learn and experience diversity. It created an optimistic change for America as a whole. Rosie the Riveter is an image that has been embraced for women empowerment. A new appearance has been created for women everywhere since the movement. It really shaped women as a whole and set the stage for future generations of strong, confident and independent females. “We Can Do It” is not just a saying. It is a way of life for women everywhere.
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.
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
One such propaganda poster that was spread across Great Britain features a female factory worker with her arms spread wide that reads: “Women of Britain come into the factories”. This particular poster targeted an audience of women and was used to persuade woman to become more involved in the workforce. By showing the young woman wearing a factory uniform while posing in a victorious manner, the poster has the effect of giving future female factory workers the impression that woman participating in factory work will lead to a victory for Great Britain and its Allies in the war.
“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.
For the first time women were working in the industries of America. As husbands and fathers, sons and brothers shipped out to fight in Europe and the Pacific, millions of women marched into factories, offices, and military bases to work in paying jobs and in roles reserved for men in peacetime. Women were making a living that was not comparable to anything they had seen before. They were dependent on themselves; for once they could support the household. Most of the work in industry was related to the war, such as radios for airplanes and shells for guns. Peggy Terry, a young woman who worked at a shell-loading plant in Kentucky, tells of the money that was to be made from industrial work (108). “We made a fabulous sum of thirty-two dollars a week. To us that was an absolute miracle. Before that, we made nothing (108)." Sarah Killingsworth worked in a defense plant. " All I wanted to do was get in the factory, because they were payin more than what I'd been makin. Which was forty dollars a week, which was pretty good considering I'd been makin about twenty dollars a week. When I left Tennessee I was only makin two-fifty a week, so that was quite a jump (114)." Terry had never been able to provide for herself as she was able to during the war. " Now we'd have money to buy shoes and a dress and pay rent and get some food on the table. We were just happy to have work (108).” These women exemplify the turn around from the peacetime to wartime atmosphere on the home front. The depression had repressed them to poverty like living conditions. The war had enabled them to have what would be luxury as compared to life before.
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.
Male workers found a new competition for their jobs as women upheld them during the war. Some men even went on strike to force women off the job, while officials in New York informed twenty women judges that "they had simply been hired as temporary wartime help." One of the more positive ideas of the war was the flourishing wealth to the American economy. Factory output grew more than thirty-three percent from 1914 to 1918. Because many men were off at war, the civilian workforce grew. Over 1 million people joined the work force from 1916 to 1918, mostly made up of women and blacks.
Life for women was expanding because the men were at war and some one had to step up and be both the man and woman in their household. Both men and women were going into World War II because the war was so big that in 1942, The Women's Army Corps (WAC) and Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES) were created. After two these organizations were accepted, The United States government then allowed women to serve in the U.S. Navy. Women back in the United States worked in factories, hardcore jobs and became the main focus of society when it came down to the entertainment industry. Through out the 1940's, the number of women in the working rose by 35 percent. Harvard University found that from 1930 to 1950 participation rate for married women 35 to 44 years old in the work force increased by 15.5 percent. Only 8 percent of workers were married in 1890. Plus, the number of married woman workers in 1930 rose from 26 percent to 37 percent in 1950. The average married woman that was working was more educated than the average married
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
The 1940s provided a drastic change in women’s employment rates and society’s view of women. With the end of the Depression and the United States’ entrance into World War II, the number of jobs available to women significantly increased. As men were being drafted into military service, the United States needed more workers to fill the jobs left vacant by men going to war. Women entered the workforce during World War II due to the economic need of the country. The use of Patriotic rhetoric in government propaganda initiated and encouraged women to change their role in society.
When all the men were across the ocean fighting a war for world peace, the home front soon found itself in a shortage for workers. Before the war, women mostly depended on men for financial support. But with so many gone to battle, women had to go to work to support themselves. With patriotic spirit, women one by one stepped up to do a man's work with little pay, respect or recognition. Labor shortages provided a variety of jobs for women, who became street car conductors, railroad workers, and shipbuilders. Some women took over the farms, monitoring the crops and harvesting and taking care of livestock. Women, who had young children with nobody to help them, did what they could do to help too. They made such things for the soldiers overseas, such as flannel shirts, socks and scarves.
During America’s involvement in World War Two, which spanned from 1941 until 1945, many men went off to fight overseas. This left a gap in the defense plants that built wartime materials, such as tanks and other machines for battle. As a result, women began to enter the workforce at astonishing rates, filling the roles left behind by the men. As stated by Cynthia Harrison, “By March of [1944], almost one-third of all women over the age of fourteen were in the labor force, and the numbers of women in industry had increased almost 500 percent. For the first time in history, women were in the exact same place as their male counterparts had been, even working the same jobs. The women were not dependent upon men, as the men were overseas and far from influence upon their wives.
“The War led to a dramatic rise in the number of women working in the United States; from 10.8 million in March, 1941, to more than 18 million in August, 1944…” (Miller). Although the United States couldn’t have been as successful in the war without their efforts, most of