Women's Role In The Civil Rights Movement

1001 Words3 Pages

World War II included a huge military draft of men ages 18-45, causing them to leave their families and jobs behind. While men were off fighting in the war, women became responsible for handling life back at home. This meant they continued on with their household motherly duties, while also becoming an integral part of the labor force during war time. Post WWII, and the early Cold War era from 1945-1965, was a period of mass change for the entirety of the United States. Women became increasingly recognized in the public sphere of jobs and careers, and second wave feminism arose in the early 1960s. Also, this time period is home to massive racial segregation and Jim Crow laws, which lead to the Civil Rights Movement and the Civil Rights Act …show more content…

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 …show more content…

Once the war ended and the men returned home, women were pushed out of their manufacturing and industrial positions, so the men could resume their work. Post-WWII the baby boomer period arose. The nation was in a positive post-war state, and child rearing became more popular than ever before. Because of the baby boom, women were driven back into their domestic roles as wives and mothers, while the men went back to being the bread winner for the family. This was a hard role for women to re-conform to, for they were financially independent one day and financially dependent the next. The American nuclear family became the sought after life for middle-class white families. This perfect idea of a family included a domesticized stay at home wife, who was submissive and stupid. This is why the 1950s is regarded as the height of gender inequality, resulting in the aesthetic of the 1950s house

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