US Home Front WWII: Working Women

This is Rosie The Riveter, a cultural U.S. icon for working women in the United States during WWII. Women worked in factories that produced war supplies. This image came from Flickr Creative Commons.




The Riveter is a symbol of women's economic power during WWII in the United States. Rosie The Riveter inspired a social movement where the number of working women in the United States increased from 12 million to 20 million by 1944. Rosie The Riveter portrays that women are capable of doing a 'mans job' just as good as men.

Geraldine Hoff Doyle was the inspiration for Rosie The Riveter. At the age of 17, Geraldine was photographed working in a metal factory. J Howard Miller is the artist behind Rosie The Riveter when released in a poster.

2 years ago, the great inspiration for Rosie, Geraldine Doyle died at the age of 86. What is interesting is that Geraldine had no idea she was the inspiration of this national icon until 1982. An article below explains that she died, and also a quote from Geraldine's daughter about Geraldine.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/30/rosie-riveter-dead-geraldine-hoff-doyle_n_802772.html

What is ironic, however, was that this icon only worked in the factory for a week, then married a dentist and raised a family.