In December 1941, the United States joined World War II. Rosie the Riveter was created by that time. Rosie the Riveter isn’t an actual person, but an idea that reflects the period of time of America, and the women of that era. She was the star of a campaign aimed at recruiting female workers for defense industries, and she became the most iconic image of working women, and long affected the development in culture and female’s role in the society of the United States. Today, we will be discussing the impact World War II and Rosie the Riveter had made.
The Second World War changed the role relationship between men and women. Women began to have the opportunity to show their ability in the workplace. They made contributions to the country and had different expectations of their work and life. Rosie the Riveter in J. Howard Miller’s painting shows a strong and confident figure and “We Can Do It" poster that successfully encouraged and inspired women. In the American Revolution and other battles before WWII, women were only playing the role of nursing.[1] But in fact, over 350000 women volunteered for the newly formed women working organizations including WAACs, WASPS, SPARS… [2] they produced weapons and supplies for the WWII efforts. They crossed the bounties they faced before, starting to have a sense of achievements during the war. Compared to women working for countries in the second world war, women and girls today have stronger expectations of individualism. We are able to study in a high education, have a career, enjoy hobbies that were used only to belong to boys… But all again, women are making choices by ourselves.
At the same time, besides women’s subjective expectations and willingness to work, men also started to respect women and reorganize their contributions in war. The whole society’s perspective on women had changed, which built the foundation of equality in women and men. Before WWII, women were taught to be different, but men were defined as aggression and masculinity. We can view this from the popular posters at different times in the United States—— In traditional digital posters, women always appear as gentle housewives, but in World War II, Rosie the Riveter showed women’s muscles and strength for the first time, which was not a single example. We can see from this that the image of women in society has become diversified, and many poster creators are men. Meanwhile, women who work as pilots in the WASP organizations received the Congressional Golden Medal, one of the highest civilian honors. [3] Women’s hard work in the war can not be undertaken, they proved their competence to the country. But until today, in the 21st century, the working area is still gendered. Women need to prove our competence in areas such as finance and the economy. “During joining national economic competitions in the final rounds, I was the only girl there. I believe this is a problem that needs to be changed.” Said one American high school student, Iris. [4] In the US, only about 13% of academic economists in permanent posts are women [5].
In the long-term, Rosie the Riveter affects equality between men and women, and the civil rights movement. She could have such a huge influence, because Rosie the Riveter was spread in mails, factories… women were inspired, they could see another way of living. Before this figure was created, women were devoted to their husband, and depended on men financially. After the war ended, women were asked by the government to go back to their home and stopped working. But still, a more and more feminist movement began. It pushed the idea that women were not simply for the homes; they can do “factory work”. The Rosie the Riveter campaign made the American female workforce increase from 12 million to 20 million. [6] Until now, a few years ago, women still used this image to represent their feminist movement on social media. [7] Rosie the Riveter brought further equality in civil rights. For instance, it encourages women and colored people to start movements, for equal salaries just like white men do. During WWII, women’s salaries increased from 1/5 of men do, to 2/3. Now, we have legal protections to ensure this equality. This movement is still working on.
To sum up, during World War II, Rosie the Riveter’s figure changed women’s role in society and made a foundation of the feminist and civil rights movement. She symbolized the strong and confident women in that period of time. World War II was a tough time, but it created great people who contributed to the country, sacrificed themselves, and promoted the modern world’s development. Rosie the Riveter is an era of the rising of women’s roles.
[1] https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/its-your-war-too-women-world-war-ii
[2] https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/women-wwii
[3] https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1#:~:text=Some%20350,000%20women%20served%20in%20the%20U.S.%20Armed,2010,%20were%20awarded%20the%20prestigious%20Congressional%20Gold%20Medal.
[4]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QxyKnMLKWfI
[5]https://www.bbc.com/news/business-41571333#:~:text=But%20the%20proportion%20of%20women%20in%20economics%20is,in%20economics%20-%20American%20Elinor%20Ostrom%20in%202009.
[6][7]https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/rosie-the-riveter-ultimate-feminist-icon.html
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