ROSIE THE RIVETER: WOMEN WORKERS IN THE WORLD WAR II

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FINAL EXAM

Subject : American Politic and Economic Policy System

Method : Take home exam

Lecturer : Dr. Nur Saktiningrum, M.Hum

Due date : January 7, 2014

Name : Nurlita Hapsari

NIM : 14/373594/PSA/07806

ROSIE THE RIVETER: WOMEN WORKERS IN THE WORLD WAR II

“All men are created equal.” This sentence written in the American Declaration of

Independence has a very strong meaning of hope for rights and equality for all American

citizens. Of course, the word ‘men’ here does not necessarily refer literally to any man or

male, but ‘human’, which means to include all America people, including women, Blacks,

Native Americans, Hispanics, Asians, as well as other ethnic and racial groups. However,

women are still often regarded as second-class citizen in the society. Their role is limited

only in the domestic territory; to take care of the house, husband, and children alone.

They are not allowed to get engaged in public areas. If they were allowed to work, their

work would be on stereotyped household chores such as maid, laundry, nurses, and

typists.

In this paper, I discuss about the role of worker women in continuing the heartbeat

of America when the World War II occurred. As we know, when the war exploded, most

of the men were deployed to go to the battle field, resulting in a huge vacancy on the

work they filled in before. Here I talk about the role of particular character called ‘Rosie

the Riveter’ which played as a propaganda tool by the government that encouraged

American women during WWII to enter job fields that were once only cultivated by men.

Although it was a forced condition due to the war, Rosie the Riveter lingered as an

important icon of women empowerment in which women began to pursue man’s job.

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Here, the woman showed the society that if they are given the space and chance, they can

do as well as men.

America’s involvement in the WWII was triggered by Japan’s attack in December

1941 as Japan’s warplanes bombed American military base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This

attack brought President Roosevelt’s wrath that later he called the United States to enter

the war. With most American men enlisting in the war, the industrial work force quickly

reduced. Then who would back up men’s position in the factories and industries to

produce items needed for the war? The diversion of men from the labor pool into the

military, as well as the increased production needed to support the war effort, prompted

the federal War Manpower Commission and the Office of War Information to undertake a

nationwide campaign to recruit women into the labor force.1 To fill the void and huge

manpower shortage, the government began introducing Rosie the Riveter propaganda

through advertisement in media. Hence, through the factory gates flooded an army of

woman power. Women workers ranged from mothers, daughters, secretaries, wives and

even schoolgirls going to the factory and taking over the jobs the men had left behind.

The government’s propaganda campaign exploited a

series of persuasive patriotic posters and messages featuring

different versions of Rosie the Riveter. Thus, Rosie the

Riveter became a cultural icon which represented the

American women who worked in factories during World

War II, many of whom produced munitions and war

supplies. On the iconic poster of Rosie the Riveter, the

1 Federal Highway Administration. Rosie the Riveter. (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/wit/rosie.htm), March 8,

2012

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woman working in a factory on the home front during WWII rolled up her sleeve to

reveal her muscular arm proudly. On the poster, we can see that the image of Rosie is

powerful and masculine woman, just: look at the size of her arms, which becomes the

main focus of the poster. She is identified as masculine since she works with a very large

and heavy riveting gun. Moreover, she is wearing men’s clothes. Yet, on the other hand,

she is also seen as feminine woman, just look at how she wears rouge and lipstick, and

not to forget the red polka bandana covering her hair which was very girly. Here, we can

see how Rosie represented a new model of womanhood in the war era as a powerful, yet

feminine woman. The term “Rosie the Riveter” was first used in 1942 in a song of the

same name written by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb. The song portrayed character of

‘Rosie’ as a vigorous assembly line worker to help the America war effort. The name

‘Rosie’ itself was not all fictitious. The name was closely associated with a real woman

named Rose Will Monroe. She worked as a riveter at the Willow Run Aircraft Factory in

Michigan, building B-24 bombers for the U.S. Army Air Forces.2

The government propaganda campaign targeted several groups of women. First,

women who were already in the workplace, usually minority women with low-paying

positions, were encouraged to upgrade to factory jobs with better wages. Second, girls

who were just out of high school were also recruited in the work force. And last, the

campaign mostly targeted the married women with children who did not really need or

even wanted to work. Numerous persuasive messages flooded the campaign, especially

the importance of patriotism and the idea that the war would end sooner if women at

2 Sheridan Harvey, Rosie the Riveter: Real Women Workers in World War II.

(http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/journey/rosie-transcript.html), July 20, 2010

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home filled the shoes of absent male workers.3 Fear propaganda also insisted that more

soldiers would perish and women would be considered ‘slackers’ if they did not step up to

the task. Constant appeals were issued by the government sources throughout the war,

such as articles and advertisements placed in magazines to get more women’s attention.

One of the many slogans shouted, “The more women at work, the sooner we win.”4

Government propaganda frequently described the jobs in terms of domestic images. For

example, one government advertisement asked women: “Can you use an electric mixer?

If so, you can learn to operate a drill.”5 Here, the campaign compared welding to sewing,

operating a drill press to making orange juice, and using a lathe to running a washing

machine.6 In addition, propaganda was also directed at their husbands, many of whom,

because of the patriarchal belief, were unwilling to support such jobs for their wife.

These efforts and propaganda were gaining its huge success. Women, who were

convinced that they had a patriotic duty to enter the workforce, quickly responded to

Rosie the Riveter. Most women determined to join the teams. Thanks to the propaganda,

all the nation’s activities such as in manufacturing, mining, trade, communications,

investment, labor, even education and cultural undertakings were now brought under new

and enlarged controls.7 Between 1940 and 1945, the female percentage of the U.S.

3 Alia Hoyt, Who was Rosie the Riveter? (http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/rosie-

riveter.htm), 03 November 2008

4 “Rosie the Riveter” in United States History (http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1656.html)

5 Terri Coles. Don't Use Rosie the Riveter to Sell Me a Mop (http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/terri-coles/rosie-

the-riveter-swiffer_b_3381551.html), July 4, 2013

6 Karen Anderson, “Teaching about Rosie the Riveter: The Role of Women during World War II” OAH

Magazine of History, Vol. 3, No. 3/4, Special Double Issue on Women's History and History of the 1970s

(Summer - Fall, 1988), 36

7 Alonzo L. Hamby, An Outline of American History (Bureau of International Information Programs U.S.

Department of State, 2005 ), 222

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workforce increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent, and by 1945 nearly one out of

every four married women worked outside the home.8

During the war years, many of these women were employed in traditionally male-

dominated roles. Despite the image of Rosie the Riveter reflected the industrial work of

riveters during World War II, actually the majority of working women filled non-factory

positions in every sector of the economy. Women became aerodynamic engineers,

railroad workers, streetcar drivers and lumber and steel mill employees.9 The aviation

industry saw the greatest increase in female workers. In 1943, more than 310,000 women

worked in the U.S. aircraft industry, making up 65 percent of the industry’s total

workforce (compared to just 1 percent in the pre-war years).10

The munitions industry

also heavily recruited women workers. In addition to factory work and other home front

jobs, some 350,000 women joined the Armed Services, serving at home and abroad.

Women also contributed in pilot service during the war effort through Women’s Airforce

Service Pilots, or WASPs. Obtaining pilot’s license prior to service, these women became

the first women to fly American military aircraft. They flied the planes from factories to

bases, transporting cargo, and participating in simulation strafing and target missions,

accumulating more than 60 million miles in flight distances and freeing thousands of male

U.S. pilots for active duty in World War II.11

By joining in the American workforce, women, especially the previously

housewives, who used to just stay and take care of the house now worked together and

8 “Rosie the Riveter” (http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/rosie-the-riveter), 2010

9 Federal Highway Administration. Rosie the Riveter. (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/wit/rosie.htm)

10 “Rosie the Riveter” (http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/rosie-the-riveter), 2010

11 ibid

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contributed to their nation. In addition, by going to work, they got a chance to earn their

way in the world as well. The involvement of women workers during World War

demonstrates the fact that women are hardworking individuals who played a vital to the

role in the development of the country. By 1942, when the war was ready to begin,

women were urged to join any technical training to better prepare themselves to replace

the men who were now in the army. The American Rosie the Riveter Association

estimates that more than 6 million women worked in war industries, helping produce

nearly 300,000 airplanes, more than 100,000 tanks, more than 44 billion rounds of

ammunition and other material.12

In some areas, women took the lead to accomplish certain tasks to support the

nation’s war effort. For example, there was a huge new opportunity to work for the

American Red Cross. Here, women not only learned basic first aid techniques, but also

took part as volunteers at the local USO (United Service Organizations), which was

considered to be an honor. Women would perform not only a patriotic duty, but having a

job helped themselves financially, too. However, many women stated that they felt

patriotic and to support their country was the main business that the money came second.

Joining the workforce gave them endless pride to know they were doing their part to help

the nation to win the war. They quickly become known as the ‘production soldiers’ in the

defense industries.13

In the very essence, women had occupied almost every aspect of industry as well

as military. What unified the experiences of these women was that they proved to

12

Julie Zauzmer. Real-life Rosie the Riveter’ women share their stories and philosophy.

(http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/real-life-rosie-the-riveter-women-share-their-stories-and-

philosophy/2014/08/10/75ccdc86-20a9-11e4-8593-da634b334390_story.html), August 10, 2014


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themselves (and the country) that they could do a ‘man’s job’ and could do it well.14

However, incessant propaganda by the government as well as women’s enthusiasm to join

the workforce did not run without obstacles. For example, despite government’s

encouragement for women to work, unfortunately, women workers were usually paid less

than men for doing the same job. In war industry manufacturing, despite the fact that the

women were doing the same jobs as their absent male counterparts, they earned roughly

65 percent less.15

Furthermore, because of the system remain favored men over women,

in the work place women rarely advanced to become supervisors.

In terms of domestic issue, women also had to endure moral charges that their

children were becoming delinquents because they could not be at home to raise and take

care of them.16

The phenomenon of that many women went to work had also changed

America. During the war, child care centers emerged all over the country. Thus, most of

the centers were built adjacent to the plants for the families’ convenience in order to

prevent the problem stated before.17

Controversy related to religious matter also came to

slant the story of women employment in the military branches in which millions of

support service jobs enlisting women in 1942. In this case, one church claimed that the

Women’s Army Corps was “intended to break down the traditional American and

Christian opposition to removing women from the home by bringing back the pagan

female goddess of de-sexed, lustful sterility.”18

Furthermore, one of the most-heard

14

Susan Ware. Modern American Women: A Documentary History 2nd edition. (Boston: McGraw-Hill,

2002)

15 “Women” in America’s World War II in Color (http://www.pbs.org/perilousfight/social/women/), 2003

16 ibid


18 “Women” in America’s World War II in Color, 2003

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rumors about women worker was regarding servicewomen’s morality. Military women

were assumed to be sexually immoral and rebellious of military discipline.19

The fact was,

Venereal disease was rampant among male soldiers, and basically non-existent among

women in uniform.20

Although faced by various hostilities and the persistence of stereotyping, the war

work’s spirit of patriotism made it much more tolerable for women to enter into men’s

work than ever before. Women made essential contributions to the successful prosecution

of the war in their way. The dedication of millions of women into defense industry jobs

enabled the economy to provide the essential tools of war to the military.21

By 1944, 16 percent of all working women held jobs in war industries. While an

estimated 18 million women worked during the war. There was growing concern among

them that when the war was over, they believed that the condition would never be the

same again. In the second half of 1944, when the war almost came to an end and victory

seemed assured for the United States, government eventually changed the propaganda to

urge women back to working at home. When the war finally ended with the Allies victory,

the need for munitions workers abruptly ceased. Women were now forced to leave their

jobs to seek others.

Meantime, changes in women’s employment opportunities during the war had

important implications for the gender division of labor and power in American society.

The condition challenged many stereotypes of women that had historically been used to

19

Karen Anderson, OAH Magazine of History, Vol. 3, No. 3/4, Special Double Issue on Women's History

and History of the 1970s, 37

20 “Women” in America’s World War II in Color, 2003

21 Karen Anderson, OAH Magazine of History, Vol. 3, No. 3/4, Special Double Issue on Women's History


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defend their confinement to the home or to low paying, low-mobility jobs. In this case,

Rosie the Riveter demonstrated that women could do work that required stamina, physical

strength and coordination, and mechanical and technical competence, just as well as man

did. Moreover, the fact that most women defense workers stated that they wanted to keep

their jobs after the war signified that women’s aspirations for themselves and their sense

of competence had been dramatically altered by their success in men’s work categories.22

Many women were discharged after the war and their jobs were given to the

returning servicemen.23

The overall percentage of women working fell from 36% to 28%

in 1947. That new endeavor for American women, while profitable in more ways than

one, would soon come to an end. Some faced harassment for attempting to stay in

industry, and the government insisted that they were just a substitute until the war was

over, but the women never wavered. The number of working women never again fell to

pre-war levels. Some argued that many women returned to traditional work such as

clerical or administration positions, despite their reluctance to re-enter the lower-paying

fields.24

However, some of these women continued working in the factories. Rosie the

Riveter women workers had changed American labor force industry and left permanent

effects in the gender division of labor and power.

Some historians saw the character of Rosie the Riveter as a feminist icon in the

war time, given the fact that women got limited privilege at the time. Yet, some other

historians put aside this conception. They emphasized that the changes were temporary

22

Karen Anderson, OAH Magazine of History, Vol. 3, No. 3/4, Special Double Issue on Women's History


23 Emma J Lapsansky-Werner. United States History: Modern America (Boston: Pearson Learning

Solutions, 2011), 361 - 362

24 Maureen Honey. Creating Rosie the Riveter: Class, Gender and Propaganda during World War II, 23

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that after the war ended, women were expected to return to traditional roles of wives and

mothers.25

Yes, it was true Rosie was taken to beckon women into the workplace.

Unfortunately, for many women who had grown accustomed to working and the financial

independence that resulted from their jobs, Rosie’s purpose was extinguished at the end

of the war. Although employers had also grown to accept women in the workplace, the

return of the soldiers to the home front forced them to admit that their recently adopted

female staff had been only temporary.26

Finally, in Rosie the Riveter, we can witness the early turning point of women’s

involvement in American workforce during the WWII. Eventhough it can be said that

actually their role in the home front was temporary to fill men’s shortage during the war,

but their patriotism spirit to defend the nation should be appreciated. After the war was

over and the servicemen returned, not all women went back to their domestic role. Some

stayed working in the industry despite certain pressures such as lower-paying and gender-

stereotyped jobs like secretarial positions. Although gender inequalities took hold once

again, it was too late to close the floodgates of women workers. It was not long before the

daughters of these women began to toss away the obsolete ideas of women confinement

at home.27

Proving that they could do the jobs known as men’s work, Rosie the Riveter

had created an entirely new image of women in American society, and set the stage for

upcoming generations.

25

Judy Liftoff. Rosie the Riveter. Americans at War Ed. John Resch. Vol. 3. (Detroit: Macmillan Reference

USA, 2005), 171–174

26 Alia Hoyt, Who was Rosie the Riveter? (http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/rosie-

riveter.htm), 03 November 2008

27 ibid

ROSIE THE RIVETER: WOMEN WORKERS IN THE WORLD WAR II

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