The second World War resulted in a demand for workers after men began leaving for the war. Due to a lot of the working men in America going overseas as well as the demand for war products, women became a major source of labor. Propaganda began to address women, persuading them that it was their duty to start working for the men. The film The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter gives personal accounts of some of the hardships women faced in the era surrounding WWII, and how the media was used to create a desire for women to work.
The film was mainly the spoken accounts of women during World War II, with a portion of it containing propaganda in the forms of commercials, short films, posters, etc. Once the war began, jobs began opening everywhere, and the demand for working bodies increased
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These openings needed to be filled in order to produce the supplies required for the war, such as ammo and vehicles. They needed people, and since men were not available, companies took the next best thing: women. How were they going to get these women to work these positions? The film shows us the major tactic used was war propaganda. This propaganda was used in a variety of ways. It compared the work typically associated to women, such as sewing and caring for nails, to the new workforce that required welding and grinding. The propaganda used the practices that were considered feminine to make the typically masculine roles seem more fitting to women, in the hopes that it would bring more women to work. Women were also said to have smaller hands that were more precise, which would be perfect for working. This trait associated with women was not advantageous to gaining a career in the past, but with the need for workers it became desirable. Eventually, Rosie the Riveter was created, a character that depicted the perfect working woman. She was working not because she wanted
Historiography Individual Books This source, Creating Rosie the Riveter, is a monograph written by Maureen Honey, which describes how during the 1940s, due to the need to fill jobs normally held by men, who were mostly enlisted overseas, the US government turned to its women and tried to persuade them to apply for jobs in factories, production, and management through propaganda, such as advertisements, pulp fiction, and magazines. It also examines how the image of Rosie the riveter was formed through propaganda and why, as well as why the propaganda turned back towards traditional images of women, such as the housewife and mother image, when the war came to an end. In terms of the argument, the author argues that propaganda was used
As World War II developed more and more Australian men were conscripted by the British Empire to join the war and therefore tens-of-thousands of men left Australia, leaving their wives and children behind. On the home front, women dealt with the consequences of war in an extreme manner which consisted of managing children and family accountabilities alone, shortages of resources, as well as their concerns for the future, and the grief of losing loved ones. Although this was a distressing and challenging time for the women population within Australia it also enabled them to access ‘a man’s world’ and be successful within the economical workspace, which was previously not accessible to them prior to the war. 'Rosie the Riveter ' was a
Rosie the Riveter was not the only big impact on women. The propaganda poster, “Woman’s Place in the
Miller’s target audience was young American women, for they were a necessity on the homefront during the war. Rosie the Riveter was designed specifically to entice women; thus, this strategy worked because women felt obligated to help their beloved men and country. Rosie the Riveter was able to resonate with all women because she embodied the American dream: to be employed. John Miller along with the War Production Coordinating Committee wanted Rosie the Riveter to be highly credible among young women. The government, particularly the War Production Coordinating Committee was also credible.
Before the war, it was not likely for women to work in factories. However, by 1945, women made up one third of all industrial workers. This was a big change for women, because women usually only worked at home
This is such a fantastic book for both girls and boys. It is an empowering book for young girls which depicts a female character excelling in engineering. It also has a positive message for both genders that teaches the only failure is if you give up. Rosie becomes disheartened when her helicopter crashes and wants to give up, but learns that even though her invention crashed, it DID fly and so it was a success! This would be a good book to tie into history by discussing the Rosie the Riveters in WW
The war had a great impact on women, as the opportunity to fill jobs originally
WORLD WAR 1 ERA AMERICAN WOMEN August 15, 1917 Women take over men 's jobs By: Alexander Rodriguez Before entering the war women were only housewives but it all changed when the United States joined the war. American women started replacing men 's jobs as the men left their jobs to go serve for the United States in the war. The number of employed women raised by a lot in many industries. “There has been a sudden influx of women into such unusual occupations as bank clerks, ticket sellers, elevator operator, chauffeur, street car conductor, railroad trackwalker, section hand, locomotive wiper and oiler, locomotive dispatcher, block operator, drawbridge attendant, and employment in machine shops, steel mills, powder and ammunition
(pbs.org) But a source of labor was high in demand since most of the men left to fight in the war. This opened up many opportunities for the minorities in America, especially women. Before the war, women didn’t have outside jobs. Their role was to tend to family affairs and stay at home while the husband worked to make a living.
More than 310,000 women worked in the U.S. aircraft industry. One example is Rosie the Riveter, she was mostly known for helping the United States to recruit women to work. (document 1) She was in newspapers, movies, posters, photographs, and articles. Rosie the Riveter represents the American women who worked in factories and
Women played an important roles during World War II throughout the world; they gave their time, energy, and some even gave their lives. The War also transformed women's roles in the workplace and society, but for many, it did not last forever. Many had to do work that men did before the war. However, most of the works needed professional and outstanding skills. Nearly 350,000 American women served in uniform, volunteering for numerous reserves and corps.
After the start of WWI, changing the role of women became a huge favorable change for the society. In the December of 1941, Britain put into place the second National service act, and therefore, Britain became the first nation to conscript women in the world and it gave them a part in the conflict in the making of history (hubpages). They had organizations such as the FANY-First Aid Nursing Yeomanry,- and VAD-society of female volunteers which was part of the effort toward war. New jobs opened up for women through ads in newspapers, which included tram drivers, postal workers, police patrols, chemical manufacturers, munition workers, typists, and many more. Counter argument: Some might argue that the roles of women did not change much due to
To gain their support, the public image of women had to be changed. More propaganda was produced, encouraging women to enter the workforce as a way to continue the progression of the United States as their men went off to fight. Propaganda targeted towards women usually consisted of an emotional tone rather than an authoritative one. “To mobilize women… government propaganda needed… central theme… concentrated on patriotism and emotional appeals” (Mathis). It was known by the government that the best way to persuade women into aiding the war effort was to appeal to their emotions; women were angry that their loved ones were forced to go off to war to partake in a fight that was believed America had no need to be in.
In the article it says that women entered jobs like engineering, other professions, and manufacturing jobs that many people believed that those jobs were too dangerous for women and women were too weak. In their jobs, women made airplanes, warships, munitions, and tanks working in technical and scientific fields. Also, after the war, women were still employed as secretaries, waitresses, or in other clerical jobs. This was often called the “pink collar” force. This article shows how sometimes women are given clerical jobs that show people underestimate the abilities of women.
The war had provided a variety of employment opportunities for women and the most common job for women was at home, working in factories and filling in positions for their husbands, fathers, and brothers in their absence. Although the highest demand for workers were in previously male-dominated