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- Historical Eras > Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945) (x)
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A Hotel Worker Requests Labor Laws for Women
In this letter to Eleanor Roosevelt, an aging Southern hotel worker describes long hours and hard working conditions. Advocating on behalf of women hotel laborers, she requests a six day, 48 hour work week, and an improved pension for older workers. [...]
New York Girls Ask the President for a CCC of Their Own
The Civilian Conservation Corps, established in 1933, employed a quarter of a million young men annually who lived in military-style camps and carried out conservation and construction projects. It proved to be one of the most popular New Deal [...]
Female Union Members Challenge Post-War Job Discrimination
When World War II ended, the large numbers of women who had taken industrial jobs during the war were forced out. Employers sought not only to give their jobs to returning veterans, but also to reassert the division of labor that had operated [...]
"We Can Do It!"
Among the most famous images from the World War II era, the "We Can Do It!" poster of a determined working woman (colloquially dubbed "Rosie the Riveter") has been reproduced thousands of times since its original appearance in 1942. During the war, [...]
"Jenny on the Job Wears Styles Designed for Victory"
This World War II-era poster is from the "Jenny on the Job" series developed by the U.S. Public Health Service and aimed at women workers. The series offered safety tips and advice for thousands of women thrust into the workforce during World War [...]
"I'm Proud... My Husband Wants Me To Do My Part"
During World War II, the U.S. government produced a number of propaganda posters aimed at mobilizing women workers to contribute to the war effort, offering images that challenged traditional ideas about the role of women and the nature of their [...]
"Jenny on the Job Gets Her Beauty Sleep"
This World War II-era poster is from the "Jenny on the Job" series developed by the Office of War Information and aimed at women workers. The series offered safety tips and advice for thousands of women thrust into the industrial workforce during [...]
Table of Statistics on Women in the World War II Era Workforce
Before World War II (1941-1945), when women worked outside the home it was usually in jobs traditionally considered to be “women’s work.” These included teaching, domestic service, clerical work, nursing, and library science. [...]
Women Workers Protest the Loss of Jobs at Ford Motor Co.
When World War II ended, Ford Motor Company's Highland Park plant, like industrial manufacturers across the country, laid off thousands of women workers and replaced them with inexperienced men. In Highland Park, women members of the United Auto [...]
Unemployed Single Women Demonstrate for Jobs
As millions of men lost their jobs during the Great Depression, many began to argue that women (particularly married women) should not be occupying the scarce jobs that remained. When women could find jobs, employers routinely paid them less than [...]