Rosie the Riveter

Introduction

The image of Rosie the Riveter originated as a photograph taken of a factory worker named Geraldine Doyle [a]. The character who was inspired by this woman was named after a song written by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb called Rosie the Riveter [a]. Every woman in the workforce was from then on known as Rosie. The posters and pictures depicted strong women and promoted the saying, “We Can Do It!” along with other lines such as, ”Do the Job He Left Behind!” Through motivational advertisements based on the real-life experiences of women during WW2, Rosie the Riveter encouraged women to enter the workplace on the home front, equipping soldiers with the necessary military supplies while, through rationing, reducing their own use of the nation's resources. These women not only asserted their skill at home, but they also participated in the military world, as technicians and pilots. Rosie the Riveter also had an effect after the war, encouraging women to maintain their new-found independence even after the returning soldiers demanded from them the traditional female role of housewife and mother.

Discussion

In an endeavor to aid the effort, women around the country came together under the title “Rosie the Riveter,” and demonstrated their capability and willingness to work long and hard in order to get the country through an incredibly tough time in history. For Example, The Richmond Shipyards (on the coast of California in Richmond) were used as a major wartime industrial complex during the war, and with so many men at war, thousands of women were recruited to build the ships and equipment needed. In fact, with so many women willing and able to do this job, they produced ships which were made faster and better than any other ships made in the history of the world. ...