Rosie the Riveter was a symbol of the contributions of women to the Allied military manufacturing effort during World War II (1939-1945). A popular patriotic song introduced the fictional “Rosie the Riveter” in 1942. The name soon came to represent women who worked in defense plants in the United States and Canada during the war. The large-scale production of airplanes , ships , and other war goods proved key to the Allied victory. See World War II (Producing for the war.) .
Background.
Throughout the 1800’s, women in the United States lacked equal rights in such areas as education, property ownership, and voting. Relatively few women worked outside the home. During World War I (1914-1918), some women filled jobs in offices and defense plants to replace men who had gone to war. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States gave women the right to vote. Improved educational and career opportunities soon became available to women.
During World War II, about 15 million men, and more than 300,000 women, served in the U.S. armed forces. In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt set high goals for the production of U.S. war equipment. Factories that had been making automobiles were converted to manufacture airplanes and tanks . The U.S. government established programs to recruit women for defense work. Between 1942 and 1945, about 6 million women joined the labor force—an increase of about 50 percent.
“Rosie the Riveter.”
Songwriters Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb wrote the song “Rosie the Riveter” in 1942, and the song became popular in early 1943. A riveter is a worker who joins metal plates with rivets, or bolts. The song led the public to adopt the nickname “Rosie” for the women who staffed the nation’s defense plants. Newspaper accounts spotlighted the war production work of numerous women named “Rose.” The famous illustrator Norman Rockwell depicted “Rosie” for the May 29, 1943, cover of The Saturday Evening Post.
Later years.
After the war, many women were laid off from their factory jobs. Some returned to occupations considered traditional for women. But others, emboldened by their experiences, participated in an growing array of educational and career pursuits.
Women’s efforts on the World War II home front are honored by the Rosie the Riveter / World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California. The park, established in 2000, is maintained by the National Park Service .
