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Women of the WWII Workforce: Photos Show the Real‑Life Rosie the Riveters | HISTORY
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class="page-header__author-date"><p class="page-header__author"><span aria-hidden="true">By: </span><a aria-label="Read more articles from Madison Horne" link-name="Madison Horne" href="/author/madison-horne">Madison Horne</a></p><p>Updated: <time dateTime="2023-09-15T20:44:42">September 15, 2023</time> <!-- --> | <span>Original: <time dateTime="2019-06-11T19:29:24">June 11, 2019</time></span></p></div><div class="page-header__sharing hide-print"><button class="button is-style-standalone is-style-standalone--dark-background has-icon"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path d="M16 1H4C2.9 1 2 1.9 2 3V17H4V3H16V1ZM19 5H8C6.9 5 6 5.9 6 7V21C6 22.1 6.9 23 8 23H19C20.1 23 21 22.1 21 21V7C21 5.9 20.1 5 19 5ZM19 21H8V7H19V21Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg>copy page link</button><button class="button has-icon button--print page-header__print-button has-dark-background-with-outline" type="button" aria-label="Print this page"><svg 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https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg?width=3840&height=1920&crop=3840%3A1920%2Csmart&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg?width=3840&height=1920&crop=3840%3A1920%2Csmart&quality=75&auto=webp" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover"/></span><figcaption class="image-credit"><span>Library of Congress</span></figcaption></figure></header><div class="article-content-box"><div class="article-content content"><p>When the United States entered <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii">World War II</a> after the 1941 attacks on <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor">Pearl Harbor</a>, men shipped overseas by the millions to serve in the war. This left many of the civilian and military jobs on <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii">the home front</a> unfilled—and that's when <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1">women stepped in.</a></p><p>Before the war, some women worked in traditionally female-dominated positions, such as secretaries, store clerks and receptionists, but were otherwise rarely seen in the work force. With the labor force's high war-time demands, an estimated <a href="https://www.history.com/news/how-world-war-ii-empowered-women">six million women</a> started working in fields previously closed to them. </p><div class="wp-block wp-block-history-video"><div class="continues-video-player"><div class="video-player" tabindex="-1"><button class="video-player__close" aria-label="Close and pause the video" type="button"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false"><path d="M19 6.41L17.59 5 12 10.59 6.41 5 5 6.41 10.59 12 5 17.59 6.41 19 12 13.41 17.59 19 19 17.59 13.41 12 19 6.41z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></button><div class="video-player-decoy" style="background-image:url(https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/93/30/BRANDHD2398_THC_HOSF_206657_SFM_000_2398_15_20170918_00_HD.jpg)"><div class="video-player-decoy__title-wrapper"><div class="video-player-decoy__title" aria-hidden="true">American Women in World War II</div></div><button type="button" class="video-player-decoy__play" aria-label="Play American Women in World War II"><span class="video-player-decoy__play-icon"></span></button></div></div></div></div><p>A U.S. government ad campaign to encourage women to enter the workforce featured a fictional icon "Rosie the Riveter," with the words, "We Can Do It!" U.S. women answered the call. By 1945, nearly one out of four married women was working outside the home.</p><p>Women labored in construction, drove trucks, cut lumber and worked on farms. They worked in factories, building munitions, planes, trains and <a href="https://oregonhistoryproject.org/women-in-the-shipyards/">ships</a>. Nearly 350,000 American women also served in uniform, through clerical jobs, nursing and as part of the <a href="https://www.history.com/shows/wwii-in-hd/videos/women-in-the-cockpit">Women's Air Force Service Pilots</a> (WASP), the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, the Navy Women’s Reserve (WAVES), the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS), the Army Nurses Corps and the Navy Nurse Corps.</p><p>Since there was a war to cover—and fewer available men to cover it—the media world also presented opportunities to women as <a href="https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0002.html">journalists, photographers, and broadcasters</a>. Through the course of the war, the overall share of women in the U.S. workforce jumped from 27 to 37 percent.</p><div class="block-story-grid"><div class="card-grid is-style-3-col"><div class="card-grid__container"><article class="card-grid-item"><a aria-label="‘Black Rosies’: The Forgotten African American Heroines of the WWII Homefront" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" class="card-grid-item__link" link-name="" href="/news/black-rosie-the-riveters-wwii-homefront-great-migration"><figure class="card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit is-fallback"><div class="card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain" aria-hidden="true"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover"/><noscript><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/history-article-default.desktop.jpg"/></noscript></span></div></figure></a><div class="card-grid-item__contain"><a class="card-grid-item__title-link" link-name="‘Black Rosies’: The Forgotten African American Heroines of the WWII Homefront - From shipyards to factories to government administrative offices, Black women worked to battle authoritarianism abroad and racism at home." href="/news/black-rosie-the-riveters-wwii-homefront-great-migration"><h2 class="card-grid-item__title">‘Black Rosies’: The Forgotten African American Heroines of the WWII Homefront</h2><p class="card-grid-item__excerpt">From shipyards to factories to government administrative offices, Black women worked to battle authoritarianism abroad and racism at home.</p><div class="card-grid-item__cta"><span class="button is-style-standalone has-icon">Read more<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="18" height="18" class="card-grid-item__cta-icon"><path d="M17.0297 4.72031L23.7797 11.4703C23.925 11.6156 24 11.8078 24 11.9578C24 12.1078 23.9268 12.3416 23.7803 12.488L17.0303 19.238C16.7373 19.5309 16.2624 19.5309 15.9699 19.238C15.6774 18.945 15.677 18.4702 15.9699 18.1777L21.4403 12.7073H0.75C0.335438 12.7073 0 12.3719 0 11.9995C0 11.585 0.335438 11.2495 0.75 11.2495H21.4406L15.9703 5.77921C15.6773 5.48625 15.6773 5.0114 15.9703 4.7189C16.2633 4.4264 16.7391 4.42687 17.0297 4.72031Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></div></a></div></article><article class="card-grid-item"><a aria-label="Watch Terrified Men Learn to Deal With Women in the Workforce During WWII" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" class="card-grid-item__link" link-name="" href="/news/women-workforce-wwii-training-video-1940s"><figure class="card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit is-fallback"><div class="card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain" aria-hidden="true"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover"/><noscript><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/history-article-default.desktop.jpg"/></noscript></span></div></figure></a><div class="card-grid-item__contain"><a class="card-grid-item__title-link" link-name="Watch Terrified Men Learn to Deal With Women in the Workforce During WWII - When women were asked to sign on to factories, they responded in droves. Unfortunately, this caused new "problems" for men, who had no idea how to interact with them in the workplace." href="/news/women-workforce-wwii-training-video-1940s"><h2 class="card-grid-item__title">Watch Terrified Men Learn to Deal With Women in the Workforce During WWII</h2><p class="card-grid-item__excerpt">When women were asked to sign on to factories, they responded in droves. Unfortunately, this caused new "problems" for men, who had no idea how to interact with them in the workplace.</p><div class="card-grid-item__cta"><span class="button is-style-standalone has-icon">Read more<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="18" height="18" class="card-grid-item__cta-icon"><path d="M17.0297 4.72031L23.7797 11.4703C23.925 11.6156 24 11.8078 24 11.9578C24 12.1078 23.9268 12.3416 23.7803 12.488L17.0303 19.238C16.7373 19.5309 16.2624 19.5309 15.9699 19.238C15.6774 18.945 15.677 18.4702 15.9699 18.1777L21.4403 12.7073H0.75C0.335438 12.7073 0 12.3719 0 11.9995C0 11.585 0.335438 11.2495 0.75 11.2495H21.4406L15.9703 5.77921C15.6773 5.48625 15.6773 5.0114 15.9703 4.7189C16.2633 4.4264 16.7391 4.42687 17.0297 4.72031Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></div></a></div></article><article class="card-grid-item"><a aria-label="World War II’s ‘Most Dangerous’ Allied Spy Was a Woman With a Wooden Leg" aria-hidden="true" tabindex="-1" class="card-grid-item__link" link-name="" href="/news/female-allied-spy-world-war-2-wooden-leg"><figure class="card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit is-fallback"><div class="card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain" aria-hidden="true"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover"/><noscript><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:cover" class="card-grid-item__image image-fit__image" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/history-article-default.desktop.jpg"/></noscript></span></div></figure></a><div class="card-grid-item__contain"><a class="card-grid-item__title-link" link-name="World War II’s ‘Most Dangerous’ Allied Spy Was a Woman With a Wooden Leg - Virginia Hall, a.k.a. the ‘Limping Lady,’ organized sabotage and rescue operations across Vichy France, paving the way for the Allied invasion." href="/news/female-allied-spy-world-war-2-wooden-leg"><h2 class="card-grid-item__title">World War II’s ‘Most Dangerous’ Allied Spy Was a Woman With a Wooden Leg</h2><p class="card-grid-item__excerpt">Virginia Hall, a.k.a. the ‘Limping Lady,’ organized sabotage and rescue operations across Vichy France, paving the way for the Allied invasion. </p><div class="card-grid-item__cta"><span class="button is-style-standalone has-icon">Read more<svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" aria-hidden="true" focusable="false" width="18" height="18" class="card-grid-item__cta-icon"><path d="M17.0297 4.72031L23.7797 11.4703C23.925 11.6156 24 11.8078 24 11.9578C24 12.1078 23.9268 12.3416 23.7803 12.488L17.0303 19.238C16.7373 19.5309 16.2624 19.5309 15.9699 19.238C15.6774 18.945 15.677 18.4702 15.9699 18.1777L21.4403 12.7073H0.75C0.335438 12.7073 0 12.3719 0 11.9995C0 11.585 0.335438 11.2495 0.75 11.2495H21.4406L15.9703 5.77921C15.6773 5.48625 15.6773 5.0114 15.9703 4.7189C16.2633 4.4264 16.7391 4.42687 17.0297 4.72031Z" fill="currentColor"></path></svg></span></div></a></div></article></div></div></div><p>While women's contributions during the war were essential—they weren't always treated fairly. Women workers often faced discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and they rarely took home more than <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1">half</a> of what their male counterparts earned. </p><p>The call for working women was intended to only apply during the war. At the war’s end, even though many women wanted to keep their jobs, many were forced out by men returning home. Some women left their posts with new skills and confidence, while others sought ways to remain. Those who did were often demoted. </p><p>Still, the wartime shift into the workplace had offered women the opportunity to prove their capabilities. A newly empowered league of women then persisted in a <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline">long, slow struggle</a> for equal job opportunities and <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/womens-rights/equal-pay-act">pay</a>. </p><div class="wp-block-gallery is-style-slideshow is-style-slideshow" id="gallery-3e51378c-6ea4-459b-a2d3-c57f74f55260"><div class="container"><div class="swiper"><div class="swiper-wrapper"><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">A woman operating a hand drill while working on a "Vengeance" dive bomber, in Nashville, Tennessee.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">A woman works on an airplane motor at the North American Aviation, Inc., plant in Inglewood, California.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">A woman worker tightens the cowling for one of the motors of a B-25 bomber being assembled in the engine department of the Inglewood plant.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">A group of women, with no previous industrial experience, are reconditioning used spark plugs in a converted Buick plant to produce airplane engines in Melrose Park, Illinois, 1942. </figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">Two women workers are shown capping and inspecting tubing which goes into the manufacture of the "Vengeance" (A-31) dive bomber made at Vultee's Nashville division, Tennessee. The "Vengeance" was originally designed for the French and later adopted by the U.S. Air Force. It carried a crew of two men and was equipped with six machine guns of varying calibers.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">A riveter sitting on huge piece of machinery during WWII, perfectly illustrating the Rosie the Riveter-type, at Lockheed Aircraft Corp. </figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">Women workers at the Douglas Aircraft Company install fixtures and assemblies to a tail fuselage section of a B-17F bomber, better known as the "Flying Fortress." The high altitude heavy bomber was built to carry a crew of seven to nine men, and carried armament sufficient to defend itself on daylight missions.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">Women at work on C-47 Douglas cargo transport at the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">A group of Black women welders kneel in coveralls and hold tools as they prepare to work on SS 'George Washington Carver,' Richmond, California, 1943. </figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">Marcella Hart, mother of three children, works as a wiper at the at the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad roundhouse in Clinton, Iowa. She wears the iconic red bandana in "Rosie the Riveter" fashion.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">A woman prepares for jobs in the Army or in industry in a camouflage class at New York University. This model has been camouflaged and photographed and she is correcting oversights detected in the camouflaging of the model defense plant.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">Irma Lee McElroy, formerly an office worker, took a position at the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas during the war. Her position was a civil service employee, and here she is seen painting the American insignia on airplane wings.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">Mary Saverick stitches harnesses at the Pioneer Parachute Company Mills, in Manchester, Connecticut.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">Eloise J. Ellis was appointed by civil service to be senior supervisor in the Assembly and Repairs Department at the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is said to have boosted morale in her department by arranging suitable living conditions for out-of-state women employees and by helping them with their personal problems.</figcaption></figure><figure class="swiper-slide slideshow-gallery__slide"><div class="slideshow-gallery__image-wrapper"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;overflow:hidden;width:initial;height:initial;background:none;opacity:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0"><img alt="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center"/><noscript><img alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="fill" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%;object-fit:contain;object-position:center center" sizes="(min-width: 636px) 704px, 100vw" srcSet="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=640&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 640w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=750&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 750w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=828&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 828w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=1080&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1080w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=1248&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1248w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=1920&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 1920w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=2048&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp 3840w" src="https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=3840&amp%3Bheight=400&amp%3Bcrop=2%3A1&quality=75&auto=webp"/></noscript></span></div><figcaption class="slideshow-gallery__caption">Two Navy wives, Eva Herzberg and Elve Burnham, entered war work after their husbands joined the service. 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II."},"alt_text":"","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image/jpeg","media_details":{"width":1920,"height":1080,"file":"2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg","filesize":742678,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"width":"150","height":"150","crop":"1","source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg?width=150\u0026height=150\u0026crop=1:1","file":"rosie-riveter-lead.jpg"},"medium":{"width":"300","height":169,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg?width=300\u0026height=169","file":"rosie-riveter-lead.jpg"},"medium_large":{"width":"768","height":"0","crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg?width=768","file":"rosie-riveter-lead.jpg"},"large":{"width":"1024","height":576,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg?width=1024\u0026height=576","file":"rosie-riveter-lead.jpg"},"1536x1536":{"width":1536,"height":864,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg?width=1536\u0026height=864","file":"rosie-riveter-lead.jpg"},"2048x2048":{"width":2048,"height":1152,"crop":false,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg?width=2048\u0026height=1152","file":"rosie-riveter-lead.jpg"},"corpnews_large":{"width":1250,"height":625,"crop":true,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg?width=1250\u0026height=625\u0026crop=2:1","file":"rosie-riveter-lead.jpg"},"corpnews_medium":{"width":800,"height":400,"crop":true,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg?width=800\u0026height=400\u0026crop=2:1","file":"rosie-riveter-lead.jpg"},"corpnews_small":{"width":500,"height":250,"crop":true,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg?width=500\u0026height=250\u0026crop=2:1","file":"rosie-riveter-lead.jpg"},"full":{"file":"rosie-riveter-lead.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"mime_type":"image/jpeg","source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"post":null,"source_url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2023/03/rosie-riveter-lead.jpg"}},"post":{"id":29177,"date":"2019-06-11T19:29:24","date_gmt":"2019-06-11T19:29:24","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2023-09-15T16:44:42","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T20:44:42","slug":"women-world-war-ii-factories-photos","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https://www.history.com/news/women-world-war-ii-factories-photos","title":{"rendered":"Women of the WWII Workforce: Photos Show the Real-Life Rosie the Riveters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the United States entered \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/a\u003e after the 1941 attacks on \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor\"\u003ePearl Harbor\u003c/a\u003e, men shipped overseas by the millions to serve in the war. This left many of the civilian and military jobs\u0026nbsp;on \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii\"\u003ethe home front\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;unfilled—and that\u0026#8217;s when \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1\"\u003ewomen stepped in.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eBefore the war, some women worked in traditionally female-dominated positions, such as secretaries, store clerks and receptionists, but were otherwise rarely seen in the work force. With the labor force\u0026#8217;s high war-time demands, an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/news/how-world-war-ii-empowered-women\"\u003esix million women\u003c/a\u003e started working in fields previously closed to them.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eA U.S. government ad campaign to encourage women to enter the workforce featured a\u0026nbsp;fictional icon \u0026#8220;Rosie the Riveter,\u0026#8221; with the words, \u0026#8220;We Can Do It!\u0026#8221; U.S. women answered the call.\u0026nbsp;By 1945, nearly one out of four married women was working outside the home.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWomen labored in construction, drove trucks, cut lumber and worked on farms. They worked in factories, building munitions, planes, trains and \u003ca href=\"https://oregonhistoryproject.org/women-in-the-shipyards/\"\u003eships\u003c/a\u003e. Nearly 350,000 American women also served in uniform,\u0026nbsp;through clerical jobs, nursing and as part of the\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/shows/wwii-in-hd/videos/women-in-the-cockpit\"\u003eWomen\u0026#8217;s Air Force Service Pilots\u003c/a\u003e (WASP), the\u0026nbsp;Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, the Navy Women’s Reserve (WAVES), the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS), the Army Nurses Corps and the Navy Nurse Corps.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eSince there was a war to cover—and fewer available men to cover it—the media world also presented opportunities to women as\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0002.html\"\u003ejournalists, photographers, and broadcasters\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;Through the course of the war, the overall share of women in the U.S. workforce jumped from 27 to 37 percent.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-story-grid\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid post-grid is-style-3-col \"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item-sm-50 post-grid-item-md-33\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"‘Black Rosies’: The Forgotten African American Heroines of the WWII Homefront\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"Black \u0026#039;Rosies\u0026#039;: How African American Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2020/11/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-658411326.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Black \u0026#039;Rosies\u0026#039;: How African American Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003e‘Black Rosies’: The Forgotten African American Heroines of the WWII Homefront\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item-sm-50 post-grid-item-md-33\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"Watch Terrified Men Learn to Deal With Women in the Workforce During WWII\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2018/03/women-workforce-feature-2.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003eWatch Terrified Men Learn to Deal With Women in the Workforce During WWII\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item-sm-50 post-grid-item-md-33\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"World War II\u0026#039;s \u0026#039;Most Dangerous\u0026#039; Allied Spy Was a Woman With a Wooden Leg\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"Virginia Hall\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2024/04/Virginia-Hall-CIA-1.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Virginia Hall\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003eWorld War II\u0026#039;s \u0026#039;Most Dangerous\u0026#039; Allied Spy Was a Woman With a Wooden Leg\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhile women\u0026#8217;s contributions during the war were essential—they weren\u0026#8217;t always treated fairly. Women workers often faced discrimination\u0026nbsp;and harassment in the workplace, and they rarely took home more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1\"\u003ehalf\u003c/a\u003e of what their male counterparts earned.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe call for working women was intended to only apply during the war.\u0026nbsp;At the war’s end, even though many women wanted to keep their jobs, many were forced out by men returning home. Some women left their posts with new skills and confidence, while others sought ways to remain. Those who did were often demoted. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eStill, the wartime shift into the workplace had offered women the opportunity to prove their capabilities. A newly empowered league of women then persisted in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline\"\u003elong, slow struggle\u003c/a\u003e for equal job opportunities and\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/womens-rights/equal-pay-act\"\u003epay\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped is-style-slideshow wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"\u003e\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10828\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10828\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA woman operating a hand drill while working on a \u0026#8220;Vengeance\u0026#8221; dive bomber, in Nashville, Tennessee.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10829\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10829\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA woman works on an airplane motor at the North American Aviation, Inc., plant in Inglewood, California.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10830\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10830\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA woman worker tightens the cowling for one of the motors of a B-25 bomber being assembled in the engine department of the Inglewood plant.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1298\" data-id=\"10831\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront\" class=\"wp-image-10831\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=1920 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA group of women, with no previous industrial experience, are reconditioning used spark plugs in a converted Buick plant to produce airplane engines in Melrose Park, Illinois, 1942.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10832\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10832\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eTwo women workers are shown capping and inspecting tubing which goes into the manufacture of the \u0026#8220;Vengeance\u0026#8221; (A-31) dive bomber made at Vultee\u0026#8217;s Nashville division, Tennessee. The \u0026#8220;Vengeance\u0026#8221; was originally designed for the French and later adopted by the U.S. Air Force. It carried a crew of two men and was equipped with six machine guns of varying calibers.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"10833\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront\" class=\"wp-image-10833\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA riveter sitting on huge piece of machinery during WWII, perfectly illustrating the Rosie the Riveter-type, at Lockheed Aircraft Corp.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10834\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10834\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eWomen workers\u0026nbsp;at the Douglas Aircraft Company install fixtures and assemblies to a tail fuselage section of a B-17F bomber, better known as the \u0026#8220;Flying Fortress.\u0026#8221; The high altitude heavy bomber was built to carry a crew of seven to nine men, and carried armament sufficient to defend itself on daylight missions.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3000\" height=\"4000\" data-id=\"10835\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10835\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eWomen at work on C-47 Douglas cargo transport at the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1298\" data-id=\"10836\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront\" class=\"wp-image-10836\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=1920 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA group of Black women welders kneel in coveralls and hold tools as they prepare to work on SS \u0026#8216;George Washington Carver,\u0026#8217; Richmond, California, 1943.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3000\" height=\"4000\" data-id=\"10837\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10837\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eMarcella Hart, mother of three children, works as a wiper at the\u0026nbsp;at the Chicago \u0026amp; Northwestern Railroad roundhouse in Clinton, Iowa. She wears the iconic red bandana in \u0026#8220;Rosie the Riveter\u0026#8221; fashion.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10838\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10838\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA woman prepares for jobs in the Army or in industry in a camouflage class at New York University. This model has been camouflaged and photographed and she is correcting oversights detected in the camouflaging of the model defense plant.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10839\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10839\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eIrma Lee McElroy, formerly\u0026nbsp;an office worker, took a position at the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas during the war. Her position was a civil service employee, and here she is seen painting the\u0026nbsp;American insignia on airplane wings.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3000\" height=\"4000\" data-id=\"10840\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10840\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eMary Saverick stitches\u0026nbsp;harnesses at the Pioneer Parachute Company Mills, in Manchester, Connecticut.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10841\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10841\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eEloise J. Ellis was appointed by civil service to be senior supervisor in the Assembly and Repairs Department at the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is said to have boosted morale in her department by arranging suitable living conditions for out-of-state women employees and by helping them with their personal problems.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10842\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10842\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eTwo Navy wives, Eva Herzberg and Elve Burnham, entered war work after their husbands joined the service. In a Glenview, Illinois, they assemble bands for blood transfusion bottles at Baxter Laboratories.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-banner\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-banner__content\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"block-banner__heading h4\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\tHISTORY Vault: Women\u0026#8217;s History\t\t\t\t\u003c/h3\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-banner__text\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003cp\u003eStream acclaimed women\u0026#8217;s history documentaries in HISTORY Vault.\u003c/p\u003e\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-banner__cta\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ca href=\"https://watch.historyvault.com/topics/womens-history\" class=\"button is-style-alt\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWATCH NOW\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/a\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-banner__image\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/03/history-vault-women-of-historys-featured-photo.jpg?width=1024\u0026#038;height=575\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t","protected":false,"blocks":[{"clientId":"1b92e69c-f895-4b90-9782-a872504d1b22","name":"corpnews-blocks/subhead","attributes":[],"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"960d6f37-216b-43b8-9e6b-906bbcd7dc99","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"When the United States entered \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/a\u003e after the 1941 attacks on \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor\"\u003ePearl Harbor\u003c/a\u003e, men shipped overseas by the millions to serve in the war. This left many of the civilian and military jobs\u0026nbsp;on \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii\"\u003ethe home front\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;unfilled—and that's when \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1\"\u003ewomen stepped in.\u003c/a\u003e","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"81e6f647-6ebb-4f0e-9f48-6661b4dc4cb6","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Before the war, some women worked in traditionally female-dominated positions, such as secretaries, store clerks and receptionists, but were otherwise rarely seen in the work force. With the labor force's high war-time demands, an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/news/how-world-war-ii-empowered-women\"\u003esix million women\u003c/a\u003e started working in fields previously closed to them.\u0026nbsp;","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"491d7f99-2500-4dc8-b0c6-a1568563fdc3","name":"history/video","attributes":{"platformId":"1050216003504","duration":0,"contentRating":"","title":"American Women in World War II","disableAutoplay":false,"description":"It was all hands on deck as Americans pitched into a second World War effort after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.","pplId":["206657"],"restrictionId":0,"publicUrl":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/_0jp5utuhS9h","rating":"TV-PG","poster":"https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/93/30/BRANDHD2398_THC_HOSF_206657_SFM_000_2398_15_20170918_00_HD.jpg"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"b32a8451-aee8-48c6-8b48-635b0bcb33fd","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"A U.S. government ad campaign to encourage women to enter the workforce featured a\u0026nbsp;fictional icon \"Rosie the Riveter,\" with the words, \"We Can Do It!\" U.S. women answered the call.\u0026nbsp;By 1945, nearly one out of four married women was working outside the home.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"5c384e43-1d50-4253-99b6-d2c9adee7bbb","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Women labored in construction, drove trucks, cut lumber and worked on farms. They worked in factories, building munitions, planes, trains and \u003ca href=\"https://oregonhistoryproject.org/women-in-the-shipyards/\"\u003eships\u003c/a\u003e. Nearly 350,000 American women also served in uniform,\u0026nbsp;through clerical jobs, nursing and as part of the\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/shows/wwii-in-hd/videos/women-in-the-cockpit\"\u003eWomen's Air Force Service Pilots\u003c/a\u003e (WASP), the\u0026nbsp;Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, the Navy Women’s Reserve (WAVES), the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS), the Army Nurses Corps and the Navy Nurse Corps.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"0dfd738e-e60e-40e4-a42f-22e6aab0637c","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Since there was a war to cover—and fewer available men to cover it—the media world also presented opportunities to women as\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0002.html\"\u003ejournalists, photographers, and broadcasters\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;Through the course of the war, the overall share of women in the U.S. workforce jumped from 27 to 37 percent.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"fff3c1f3-fc15-4ce6-9c56-beb8fa163f77","name":"corpnews-blocks/story-grid","attributes":{"posts":"[{\"id\":29523,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/news\\/black-rosie-the-riveters-wwii-homefront-great-migration\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"\\u2018Black Rosies\\u2019: The Forgotten African American Heroines of the WWII Homefront\"},\"type\":\"story\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"From shipyards to factories to government administrative offices, Black women worked to battle authoritarianism abroad and racism at home.\"},\"article_type_meta\":\"\"},{\"id\":35862,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/news\\/women-workforce-wwii-training-video-1940s\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"Watch Terrified Men Learn to Deal With Women in the Workforce During WWII\"},\"type\":\"story\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"When women were asked to sign on to factories, they responded in droves. Unfortunately, this caused new \\\"problems\\\" for men, who had no idea how to interact with them in the workplace.\"},\"article_type_meta\":\"\"},{\"id\":32216,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/news\\/female-allied-spy-world-war-2-wooden-leg\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"World War II\u0026#8217;s \u0026#8216;Most Dangerous\\u2019 Allied Spy Was a Woman With a Wooden Leg\"},\"type\":\"story\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"Virginia Hall, a.k.a. the \\u2018Limping Lady,\\u2019 organized sabotage and rescue operations across Vichy France, paving the way for the Allied invasion. \"},\"article_type_meta\":\"\"}]","className":"is-style-3-col","preview":false,"postType":["any"],"cardsHeading":""},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"3b79697f-1754-4c9f-b30d-39f18b7a420d","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"While women's contributions during the war were essential—they weren't always treated fairly. Women workers often faced discrimination\u0026nbsp;and harassment in the workplace, and they rarely took home more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1\"\u003ehalf\u003c/a\u003e of what their male counterparts earned.\u0026nbsp;","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"6913f24c-c46c-4978-ad0e-d3e6e43cf113","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The call for working women was intended to only apply during the war.\u0026nbsp;At the war’s end, even though many women wanted to keep their jobs, many were forced out by men returning home. Some women left their posts with new skills and confidence, while others sought ways to remain. Those who did were often demoted. \u0026nbsp;","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"f8b0e6bd-a0c9-4419-9d17-b758a18c2a61","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Still, the wartime shift into the workplace had offered women the opportunity to prove their capabilities. A newly empowered league of women then persisted in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline\"\u003elong, slow struggle\u003c/a\u003e for equal job opportunities and\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/womens-rights/equal-pay-act\"\u003epay\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"3e51378c-6ea4-459b-a2d3-c57f74f55260","name":"core/gallery","attributes":{"columns":2,"linkTo":"none","className":"is-style-slideshow","images":[],"ids":[],"shortCodeTransforms":[],"imageCrop":true,"randomOrder":false,"fixedHeight":true,"sizeSlug":"large","allowResize":false},"innerBlocks":[{"clientId":"b0f9ed6c-9561-49c8-9d8b-af0f956652f8","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":10828,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Library of Congress","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"A woman operating a hand drill while working on a \"Vengeance\" dive bomber, in Nashville, Tennessee.","width":1024,"height":768},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"98d70782-202e-4df7-a296-5f3508c4d465","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":10829,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Library of Congress","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"A woman works on an airplane motor at the North American Aviation, Inc., plant in Inglewood, California.","width":1024,"height":768},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"1bc38f9c-dc68-4b3a-af6d-fae75fb73c5c","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":10830,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Library of Congress","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"A woman worker tightens the cowling for one of the motors of a B-25 bomber being assembled in the engine department of the Inglewood plant.","width":1024,"height":768},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"790630c7-52e1-4f8c-9fb2-de29d341c741","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":10831,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Ann Rosener/Underwood Archives/Getty Images","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront","caption":"A group of women, with no previous industrial experience, are reconditioning used spark plugs in a converted Buick plant to produce airplane engines in Melrose Park, Illinois, 1942.\u0026nbsp;","width":1024,"height":693},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"4a55bee9-89d8-4096-836d-bee2d3fd76fb","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":10832,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Library of Congress","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Two women workers are shown capping and inspecting tubing which goes into the manufacture of the \"Vengeance\" (A-31) dive bomber made at Vultee's Nashville division, Tennessee. 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She wears the iconic red bandana in \"Rosie the Riveter\" fashion.","width":1024,"height":1366},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"b8a16d47-f485-45c2-8137-bc90067ffc80","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":10838,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Library of Congress","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"A woman prepares for jobs in the Army or in industry in a camouflage class at New York University. This model has been camouflaged and photographed and she is correcting oversights detected in the camouflaging of the model defense plant.","width":1024,"height":768},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"68718a8f-a920-44ac-a971-75433fe1da0f","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":10839,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Library of Congress","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Irma Lee McElroy, formerly\u0026nbsp;an office worker, took a position at the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas during the war. Her position was a civil service employee, and here she is seen painting the\u0026nbsp;American insignia on airplane wings.","width":1024,"height":768},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"a8b5cf17-4b7a-4ead-a3f7-4e8468de6da8","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":10840,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Library of Congress","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Mary Saverick stitches\u0026nbsp;harnesses at the Pioneer Parachute Company Mills, in Manchester, Connecticut.","width":1024,"height":1366},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"c92c0f2d-7a77-4977-b3f4-26ca83eb2f03","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":10841,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Library of Congress","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Eloise J. Ellis was appointed by civil service to be senior supervisor in the Assembly and Repairs Department at the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is said to have boosted morale in her department by arranging suitable living conditions for out-of-state women employees and by helping them with their personal problems.","width":1024,"height":768},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"7bdbe1db-b5f0-4da0-a17b-08822381e0f5","name":"core/image","attributes":{"id":10842,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","credit":"Library of Congress","url":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1","alt":"","caption":"Two Navy wives, Eva Herzberg and Elve Burnham, entered war work after their husbands joined the service. In a Glenview, Illinois, they assemble bands for blood transfusion bottles at Baxter Laboratories.","width":1024,"height":768},"innerBlocks":[]}]},{"clientId":"f6af0a06-d53b-4d12-a416-04439b945539","name":"corpnews-blocks/banner","attributes":{"heading":"HISTORY Vault: Women's History","text":"\u003cp\u003eStream acclaimed women's history documentaries in HISTORY Vault.\u003c/p\u003e","bgMediaID":32073,"bgMediaURL":"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/03/history-vault-women-of-historys-featured-photo.jpg","ctaEnabled":true,"ctaURL":"https://watch.historyvault.com/topics/womens-history","ctaButtonText":"WATCH NOW","ctaNewTab":false},"innerBlocks":[]}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Embodying patriotism and strength, American women stepped into roles once closed off to them to support the war efforts on the home front and abroad.","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":41750,"template":"","meta":{"video_platform_id":"","video_duration":0,"video_content_rating":"","video_disable_autoplay":false,"curated_related_posts":"","disable_related_posts":"","subhead":"Embodying patriotism and strength, American women stepped into roles once closed off to them to support the war efforts on the home front and abroad.","exclude_from_rss":false,"distribute_scheduled_post":[],"downloadable_assets":[],"footnotes":"","reading_time":5},"tags":[],"article_type":[],"story_byline":[1272],"story_category":[45],"class_list":["post-29177","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","story_byline-madison-horne","story_category-world-war-ii"],"prepublish_checks":{},"is_external":false,"article_type_meta":"","tags_meta":"","disable_interrupter":"","primary_term":45,"video_thumbnail":false,"hide_on_google_news":false,"yoast_head_json":{"title":"Women of the WWII Workforce: Photos Show the Real-Life 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1941.","thumbnailUrl":["https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/93/30/BRANDHD2398_THC_HOSF_206657_SFM_000_2398_15_20170918_00_HD.jpg"],"duration":0,"embedUrl":"https://www.history.com/news/women-world-war-ii-factories-photos/"}}},"posts":[{"id":29177,"date":"2019-06-11T19:29:24","date_gmt":"2019-06-11T19:29:24","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2023-09-15T16:44:42","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T20:44:42","slug":"women-world-war-ii-factories-photos","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https://www.history.com/news/women-world-war-ii-factories-photos","title":{"rendered":"Women of the WWII Workforce: Photos Show the Real-Life Rosie the Riveters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the United States entered \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/a\u003e after the 1941 attacks on \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor\"\u003ePearl Harbor\u003c/a\u003e, men shipped overseas by the millions to serve in the war. This left many of the civilian and military jobs\u0026nbsp;on \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii\"\u003ethe home front\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;unfilled—and that\u0026#8217;s when \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1\"\u003ewomen stepped in.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eBefore the war, some women worked in traditionally female-dominated positions, such as secretaries, store clerks and receptionists, but were otherwise rarely seen in the work force. With the labor force\u0026#8217;s high war-time demands, an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/news/how-world-war-ii-empowered-women\"\u003esix million women\u003c/a\u003e started working in fields previously closed to them.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eA U.S. government ad campaign to encourage women to enter the workforce featured a\u0026nbsp;fictional icon \u0026#8220;Rosie the Riveter,\u0026#8221; with the words, \u0026#8220;We Can Do It!\u0026#8221; U.S. women answered the call.\u0026nbsp;By 1945, nearly one out of four married women was working outside the home.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWomen labored in construction, drove trucks, cut lumber and worked on farms. They worked in factories, building munitions, planes, trains and \u003ca href=\"https://oregonhistoryproject.org/women-in-the-shipyards/\"\u003eships\u003c/a\u003e. Nearly 350,000 American women also served in uniform,\u0026nbsp;through clerical jobs, nursing and as part of the\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/shows/wwii-in-hd/videos/women-in-the-cockpit\"\u003eWomen\u0026#8217;s Air Force Service Pilots\u003c/a\u003e (WASP), the\u0026nbsp;Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, the Navy Women’s Reserve (WAVES), the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS), the Army Nurses Corps and the Navy Nurse Corps.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eSince there was a war to cover—and fewer available men to cover it—the media world also presented opportunities to women as\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0002.html\"\u003ejournalists, photographers, and broadcasters\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;Through the course of the war, the overall share of women in the U.S. workforce jumped from 27 to 37 percent.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-story-grid\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid post-grid is-style-3-col \"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item-sm-50 post-grid-item-md-33\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"‘Black Rosies’: The Forgotten African American Heroines of the WWII Homefront\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"Black \u0026#039;Rosies\u0026#039;: How African American Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2020/11/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-658411326.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Black \u0026#039;Rosies\u0026#039;: How African American Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003e‘Black Rosies’: The Forgotten African American Heroines of the WWII Homefront\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item-sm-50 post-grid-item-md-33\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"Watch Terrified Men Learn to Deal With Women in the Workforce During WWII\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2018/03/women-workforce-feature-2.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003eWatch Terrified Men Learn to Deal With Women in the Workforce During WWII\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003carticle class=\"card-grid-item post-grid-item post-grid-item-sm-50 post-grid-item-md-33\" itemscope itemtype=\"http://schema.org/BlogPosting\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__link\" itemprop=\"url\" aria-label=\"World War II\u0026#039;s \u0026#039;Most Dangerous\u0026#039; Allied Spy Was a Woman With a Wooden Leg\" \u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cfigure class=\"card-grid-item__image-fit image-fit\" itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http://schema.org/ImageObject\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__image-contain image-fit__image-contain\" aria-label=\"Virginia Hall\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2024/04/Virginia-Hall-CIA-1.jpg?width=768\" class=\"card-grid-item__image image-fit__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Virginia Hall\" /\u003e\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__title-contain\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat card-grid-item__meta-cat--narrow\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cspan class=\"card-grid-item__meta-cat-text\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/span\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"card-grid-item__title h5\"\u003eWorld War II\u0026#039;s \u0026#039;Most Dangerous\u0026#039; Allied Spy Was a Woman With a Wooden Leg\u003c/h3\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/article\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhile women\u0026#8217;s contributions during the war were essential—they weren\u0026#8217;t always treated fairly. Women workers often faced discrimination\u0026nbsp;and harassment in the workplace, and they rarely took home more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1\"\u003ehalf\u003c/a\u003e of what their male counterparts earned.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe call for working women was intended to only apply during the war.\u0026nbsp;At the war’s end, even though many women wanted to keep their jobs, many were forced out by men returning home. Some women left their posts with new skills and confidence, while others sought ways to remain. Those who did were often demoted. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cp\u003eStill, the wartime shift into the workplace had offered women the opportunity to prove their capabilities. A newly empowered league of women then persisted in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline\"\u003elong, slow struggle\u003c/a\u003e for equal job opportunities and\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/womens-rights/equal-pay-act\"\u003epay\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped is-style-slideshow wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"\u003e\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10828\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10828\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35371u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA woman operating a hand drill while working on a \u0026#8220;Vengeance\u0026#8221; dive bomber, in Nashville, Tennessee.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10829\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10829\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35287u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA woman works on an airplane motor at the North American Aviation, Inc., plant in Inglewood, California.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10830\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10830\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35314u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA woman worker tightens the cowling for one of the motors of a B-25 bomber being assembled in the engine department of the Inglewood plant.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1298\" data-id=\"10831\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront\" class=\"wp-image-10831\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-142625040.jpg?width=1920 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA group of women, with no previous industrial experience, are reconditioning used spark plugs in a converted Buick plant to produce airplane engines in Melrose Park, Illinois, 1942.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10832\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10832\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35376u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eTwo women workers are shown capping and inspecting tubing which goes into the manufacture of the \u0026#8220;Vengeance\u0026#8221; (A-31) dive bomber made at Vultee\u0026#8217;s Nashville division, Tennessee. The \u0026#8220;Vengeance\u0026#8221; was originally designed for the French and later adopted by the U.S. Air Force. It carried a crew of two men and was equipped with six machine guns of varying calibers.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1920\" data-id=\"10833\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront\" class=\"wp-image-10833\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-50597011.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA riveter sitting on huge piece of machinery during WWII, perfectly illustrating the Rosie the Riveter-type, at Lockheed Aircraft Corp.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10834\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10834\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35356u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eWomen workers\u0026nbsp;at the Douglas Aircraft Company install fixtures and assemblies to a tail fuselage section of a B-17F bomber, better known as the \u0026#8220;Flying Fortress.\u0026#8221; The high altitude heavy bomber was built to carry a crew of seven to nine men, and carried armament sufficient to defend itself on daylight missions.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3000\" height=\"4000\" data-id=\"10835\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10835\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35359u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eWomen at work on C-47 Douglas cargo transport at the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1298\" data-id=\"10836\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"How Black Women Contributed on the WWII Homefront\" class=\"wp-image-10836\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=2048 2048w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/black-women-wwii-gettyimages-3241556.jpg?width=1920 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA group of Black women welders kneel in coveralls and hold tools as they prepare to work on SS \u0026#8216;George Washington Carver,\u0026#8217; Richmond, California, 1943.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3000\" height=\"4000\" data-id=\"10837\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10837\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34801u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eMarcella Hart, mother of three children, works as a wiper at the\u0026nbsp;at the Chicago \u0026amp; Northwestern Railroad roundhouse in Clinton, Iowa. She wears the iconic red bandana in \u0026#8220;Rosie the Riveter\u0026#8221; fashion.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10838\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10838\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34583u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eA woman prepares for jobs in the Army or in industry in a camouflage class at New York University. This model has been camouflaged and photographed and she is correcting oversights detected in the camouflaging of the model defense plant.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10839\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10839\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34899u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eIrma Lee McElroy, formerly\u0026nbsp;an office worker, took a position at the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas during the war. Her position was a civil service employee, and here she is seen painting the\u0026nbsp;American insignia on airplane wings.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3000\" height=\"4000\" data-id=\"10840\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10840\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a35384u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eMary Saverick stitches\u0026nbsp;harnesses at the Pioneer Parachute Company Mills, in Manchester, Connecticut.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10841\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10841\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34891u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eEloise J. Ellis was appointed by civil service to be senior supervisor in the Assembly and Repairs Department at the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is said to have boosted morale in her department by arranging suitable living conditions for out-of-state women employees and by helping them with their personal problems.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4000\" height=\"3000\" data-id=\"10842\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=800\u0026amp;height=400\u0026amp;crop=2:1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10842\" srcset=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=300 300w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=1024 1024w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=1536 1536w, https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2010/03/wwii_women_libraryofcongress_1a34966u.jpg?width=2048 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 4000px) 100vw, 4000px\" /\u003e\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"\u003eTwo Navy wives, Eva Herzberg and Elve Burnham, entered war work after their husbands joined the service. In a Glenview, Illinois, they assemble bands for blood transfusion bottles at Baxter Laboratories.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\u003c/figure\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e\n\n\n\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-banner\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-banner__content\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\u003ch3 class=\"block-banner__heading h4\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\tHISTORY Vault: Women\u0026#8217;s History\t\t\t\t\u003c/h3\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-banner__text\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003cp\u003eStream acclaimed women\u0026#8217;s history documentaries in HISTORY Vault.\u003c/p\u003e\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-banner__cta\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ca href=\"https://watch.historyvault.com/topics/womens-history\" class=\"button is-style-alt\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWATCH NOW\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/a\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"block-banner__image\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://assets.editorial.aetnd.com/uploads/2017/03/history-vault-women-of-historys-featured-photo.jpg?width=1024\u0026#038;height=575\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t\u003c/div\u003e\n\t\t","protected":false,"blocks":[{"clientId":"1b92e69c-f895-4b90-9782-a872504d1b22","name":"corpnews-blocks/subhead","attributes":[],"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"960d6f37-216b-43b8-9e6b-906bbcd7dc99","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"When the United States entered \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii\"\u003eWorld War II\u003c/a\u003e after the 1941 attacks on \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor\"\u003ePearl Harbor\u003c/a\u003e, men shipped overseas by the millions to serve in the war. This left many of the civilian and military jobs\u0026nbsp;on \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/us-home-front-during-world-war-ii\"\u003ethe home front\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;unfilled—and that's when \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1\"\u003ewomen stepped in.\u003c/a\u003e","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"81e6f647-6ebb-4f0e-9f48-6661b4dc4cb6","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Before the war, some women worked in traditionally female-dominated positions, such as secretaries, store clerks and receptionists, but were otherwise rarely seen in the work force. With the labor force's high war-time demands, an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/news/how-world-war-ii-empowered-women\"\u003esix million women\u003c/a\u003e started working in fields previously closed to them.\u0026nbsp;","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"491d7f99-2500-4dc8-b0c6-a1568563fdc3","name":"history/video","attributes":{"platformId":"1050216003504","duration":0,"contentRating":"","title":"American Women in World War II","disableAutoplay":false,"description":"It was all hands on deck as Americans pitched into a second World War effort after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.","pplId":["206657"],"restrictionId":0,"publicUrl":"https://link.theplatform.com/s/xc6n8B/media/_0jp5utuhS9h","rating":"TV-PG","poster":"https://cropper.watch.aetnd.com/public-content-aetn.video.aetnd.com/video-thumbnails/AETN-History_VMS/93/30/BRANDHD2398_THC_HOSF_206657_SFM_000_2398_15_20170918_00_HD.jpg"},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"b32a8451-aee8-48c6-8b48-635b0bcb33fd","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"A U.S. government ad campaign to encourage women to enter the workforce featured a\u0026nbsp;fictional icon \"Rosie the Riveter,\" with the words, \"We Can Do It!\" U.S. women answered the call.\u0026nbsp;By 1945, nearly one out of four married women was working outside the home.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"5c384e43-1d50-4253-99b6-d2c9adee7bbb","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Women labored in construction, drove trucks, cut lumber and worked on farms. They worked in factories, building munitions, planes, trains and \u003ca href=\"https://oregonhistoryproject.org/women-in-the-shipyards/\"\u003eships\u003c/a\u003e. Nearly 350,000 American women also served in uniform,\u0026nbsp;through clerical jobs, nursing and as part of the\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/shows/wwii-in-hd/videos/women-in-the-cockpit\"\u003eWomen's Air Force Service Pilots\u003c/a\u003e (WASP), the\u0026nbsp;Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, the Navy Women’s Reserve (WAVES), the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARS), the Army Nurses Corps and the Navy Nurse Corps.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"0dfd738e-e60e-40e4-a42f-22e6aab0637c","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Since there was a war to cover—and fewer available men to cover it—the media world also presented opportunities to women as\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/wcf0002.html\"\u003ejournalists, photographers, and broadcasters\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;Through the course of the war, the overall share of women in the U.S. workforce jumped from 27 to 37 percent.","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"fff3c1f3-fc15-4ce6-9c56-beb8fa163f77","name":"corpnews-blocks/story-grid","attributes":{"posts":"[{\"id\":29523,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/news\\/black-rosie-the-riveters-wwii-homefront-great-migration\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"\\u2018Black Rosies\\u2019: The Forgotten African American Heroines of the WWII Homefront\"},\"type\":\"story\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"From shipyards to factories to government administrative offices, Black women worked to battle authoritarianism abroad and racism at home.\"},\"article_type_meta\":\"\"},{\"id\":35862,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/news\\/women-workforce-wwii-training-video-1940s\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"Watch Terrified Men Learn to Deal With Women in the Workforce During WWII\"},\"type\":\"story\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"When women were asked to sign on to factories, they responded in droves. Unfortunately, this caused new \\\"problems\\\" for men, who had no idea how to interact with them in the workplace.\"},\"article_type_meta\":\"\"},{\"id\":32216,\"link\":\"https:\\/\\/www.history.com\\/news\\/female-allied-spy-world-war-2-wooden-leg\",\"title\":{\"rendered\":\"World War II\u0026#8217;s \u0026#8216;Most Dangerous\\u2019 Allied Spy Was a Woman With a Wooden Leg\"},\"type\":\"story\",\"excerpt\":{\"rendered\":\"Virginia Hall, a.k.a. the \\u2018Limping Lady,\\u2019 organized sabotage and rescue operations across Vichy France, paving the way for the Allied invasion. \"},\"article_type_meta\":\"\"}]","className":"is-style-3-col","preview":false,"postType":["any"],"cardsHeading":""},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"3b79697f-1754-4c9f-b30d-39f18b7a420d","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"While women's contributions during the war were essential—they weren't always treated fairly. Women workers often faced discrimination\u0026nbsp;and harassment in the workplace, and they rarely took home more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/american-women-in-world-war-ii-1\"\u003ehalf\u003c/a\u003e of what their male counterparts earned.\u0026nbsp;","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"6913f24c-c46c-4978-ad0e-d3e6e43cf113","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"The call for working women was intended to only apply during the war.\u0026nbsp;At the war’s end, even though many women wanted to keep their jobs, many were forced out by men returning home. Some women left their posts with new skills and confidence, while others sought ways to remain. Those who did were often demoted. \u0026nbsp;","dropCap":false},"innerBlocks":[]},{"clientId":"f8b0e6bd-a0c9-4419-9d17-b758a18c2a61","name":"core/paragraph","attributes":{"content":"Still, the wartime shift into the workplace had offered women the opportunity to prove their capabilities. 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