Women in the workplace

Running head: WOMEN IN THE WORPLACE 2

Women in the workplace
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WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE 2
Women in the Workplace During and Following World War II
Stacy Suriano
HIS497: History Capstone: Advanced Research Project
Instructor Keith Finley
July 8, 2019
World War II was seen as a turning point for women in many areas. Not only did they find a little independence outside of the shadow of men, they were also given the opportunity to work in fields that were considered inappropriate work for them. Throughout the history of the United States, women found success in politics and charitable work, but workplace equality was lacking. On August 18, 1920, the 20th Amendment was ratified and granted women with the right to vote. However, society and social needs changed, and women were viewed as having a very limited role. Advertisements played a pivotal role in how women were perceived. Women were shown as being wives and mothers and not much else. Advertisements and propaganda were used during World War II to show women they were needed in the workforce. During World War II, women were able to fill in for the men who went off to war in many professions, especially in areas of industries. They were instrumental in making the many tools, weapons, and vehicles that were important for the war effort. Women were also employed in other fields that had vacancies because of the men fighting on the front lines. Some women were able to get up close to the war and work along the men who were fighting. The success of women was short lived. After the war, some women were able to continue working, but many up a more domestic lifestyle. The opportunities during the war gave women a platform to voice their opinions and protest that women should have employment freedom and equality. This paper will examine womens role during and following World War II in the workplace and the way it laid a foundation for future generations.
Throughout the history of the United States, women have done more than just set up home and care for their husbands and children. Prior to receiving the right to vote, women were instrumental in political and public policies. Many organizations, with women at the helm, were
created to help the social climate of the country. Throughout the nineteenth century, the charitable work of women aimed to remedy problems like poverty, disease, and helplessness (Baker, 1984, p. 635). On August 18, 1920, women were granted the right to vote. However, a womans role in politics and social reform started to change. While they were able vote, the number of women utilizing the right to vote were not as large as men. Women also held fewer positions in government and other political organizations. This could lead to decisions that effect the livelihood of women, which was ultimately determined by men.
While women were successful in social reform and volunteerism, women were not always granted equality in the workplace. Around the turn of the twentieth century, employment of single women was only at 40 percent and in contrast, only 5 percent of married were featured in the workforce (Barnett, 2004). One career that was readily available to single, educated women was teaching. In fact, teaching was one of the most restrictive careers in terms of excluding married women (but not married men) (Barnett, 2004, p. 668). Educated women had to choose whether they wanted a career or have a family. During this time, it was hard I not impossible for a woman to have both. For men, they did not have to make these choices. They could have it all. Women may not have always had success in the workplace, but in the home and with family, women were able to find a place. With women in the home, men were free to work long hours, which resulted in absences from the family unit.
December 7, 1941, the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor. This event forced the United States entrance into World War II. The men went off to war and there was a vacancy at their jobs. To combat this issue, women had to play double duty. Women had to take over not in all areas of the household duties, but also in the workforce. To get women to help out
wherever they can, advertisements and propaganda was used to convince women it was their civic and patriotic duty to do what was necessary. The most popular advertisement was the image of Rosie the Riveter. This image showed that women can function and perform at any job that men can do. Many of the other advertisements and pieces of propaganda were sexist and undermined the importance of the role of women. The infusion of war work with patriotism, national duty and personal responsibility is also manifest in another discursive theme that emerges from the examination of propaganda documents and advertisements: that women joined the workforce because they were inspired by winning the approval of men (Yesil, 2004, p. 110). There were also other advertisements that depicted a stereotypical image of women. Some images showed two sides of women; one side showed women working for the war effort while the other shows women working just to spend her earnings. There were also advertisements that showed the American family and the values from this unit are being hurt because women are working. The WAC (War Advertising Council) had advertisements that may have looked positive on the surface, but getting a better look, many showed that women needed men to understand the sacrifices being made during the war (Kimble, 2018). Once women were in the factories, there was brochures and other reading material passed around on how employers should interact with women. In an RCA brochure named Women Want To Get It Over, it shows women in a derogatory light. It shows employers that they are teachable, careful, and patient. Within these qualities, women are shown to need extra support and to be coddled (National Archives). The seemingly negative and positive advertisements are both doing the same thing: they are marginalizing the impact and role of women during the Second World War.
During World War II, there were women that surprised those that doubted their abilities and broke boundaries. The idea of Rosie the Riveter showed women that they could do any job that was brought to them. On the home front, there were real-life Rosies. Many of these women found success in war industries during and following the war. During their time in the war factories and other industries, many spoke out against inequality in the workplace and throughout the country. One particular woman, who was the quintessential Rosie named Mildred Crow Sargent, was a wife and mother when she started working at Woodall Industries. There, she helped build Curtiss Wright Helldiver. She worked alongside African Americans and noticed race discrimination along with her own sex discrimination. After the war, she was able to still work at a B52 plant, raise her children, and put herself through school (Kelly & de Mare, 2013). Many other real-life Rosies had similar experiences. There time in the industry during the war gave them an opportunity to stay or even move to different areas of industry.
In 1943, there were only two women who had the military credentials to report in World War II. Ruth Cowan was one of these women. The way that Ruth Cowan wrote, she used gender stereotypes to reinforce the norms, but also used them to show what women were doing on the warfront and at home were normal. Cowan wrote around the battlefields and found personal stories of people who had been affected by the war to circumvent restrictions on womens frontline reportage (Carter Olson, 2017, p. 435). Ruth Cowan was the voice of the women that were fighting on both sides of the ocean. Whether women were in war as official personnel or nurses or back at home, their struggles and victories were being reported and voiced by women like Ruth Cowan. The way she wrote about the war and her experiences was written
in way that was pleasing to both men and women. She wanted to prove that just because she was a woman, she could handle the job and everything that came along with it.
After the war, men returned and got their jobs back and women were forced back to their traditional gender roles. Women went back to taking care of the house and family while men were the main breadwinners. However, the country and the world would never be the same. As soon as World War II ended, the United States entered into the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In order to complete with the Soviets at a highly scientific and technological level, women who were educated were needed to help compete and close the gap with the Russians, but many were not ready for women to enter into this new world (Rutherford, 2017). Betty Friedan was very instrumental in the rights of women and how important it was for them to have complete equality. Her book,The Feminine Mystique,challenges the ideals of times regarding gender equality and launched a revolution. The picturesque idea of the traditional family and American culture showed that women were happy being housewives and tending to the needs of their family. Is this the image that women really wanted to show? Did women just want to be wives and mothers and tend to a good house? Friedan suggests the opposite. All problems of the women are hidden behind close doors. These issues are causing a more catastrophic problem. Many women are unhappy with the life they are given, and they want more than just a husband, children, and a nice house (Freidan, 1963). The picture of American life after World War II is so different than what was really happening.
World War II changed many areas of American life. Some could say that the United States would never be the same after the war. Women had the opportunity to work in many areas that were outside their normal routines. They chipped into the war effort and worked in
factories and other areas of industry to help build the essentials that we needed to win the war. To convince women it was their duty to serve their country, advertisements and propaganda was produced and distributed. After the war, everything was changed. The image of America showed women staying home and tending to the lives of their husbands and children. These images showed how happy women were but were they truly happy. While this was the outcome for many women, others felt there was more. After the war, a revolution was brewing. It was a fight for equality.
References:
Baker, P. (1984). The Domestication od Politics: Women and American Political Society, 1780-1920.The American Historical Review,89 (3), 620-647.
Barnett, R. C. (2004). Preface: Women and Work: Where Are We, Where Did We Come From, and Where Are We Going?Journal of Social Issues,60(4), 667674.
Carter Olson, C. S. (2017). This Was No Place for a Woman: Gender Judo, Gender Stereotypes, and World War II Correspondent Ruth Cowan.American Journalism,34(4), 427. Retrieved from
Friedan, B. (1963).The Feminine Mystique.New York, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Kelly, K., & de Mare, A. (Producer & Director). (2013). The Real Rosie the Riveter Project. Retrieved from
Kimble, J. J. (2018). Mrs. Jekyll Meets Mrs. Hyde: The War Advertising Council, Rhetorical Norms, and the Gendered Home Front in World War II.Western Journal of Communication,82(1), 1. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=127056704&site=eds-live&scope=site
National Archives. (2016). Women in the Work Force during World War II. Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/wwii-women.html
Rutherford, A. (2017). Making better use of U.S. women Psychology, sex roles, and womanpower in post-WWII America.Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences,53(3), 228. Retrieved from
Yesil, B. (2004). Who said this is a Mans War?: propaganda, advertising discourse and the representation of war worker women during the Second World War.Media History,10(2), 103. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edb&AN=13972000&site=eds-live&scope=site