Women from WWII to present day have seen tremendous changes in their professional occupations due to their fight to be seen more as individuals rather than as minorities. The focus of this proposal will be on how women’s changing work roles between WWII and the present day have allowed women to radically change the societal belief that women are incapable and inferior to perform certain jobs that are usually performed by men. The topic is compelling due in part to the fact that there are numerous visual sources that provide unique perspectives on women’s changing work roles from the time of WWII up to present day. Not only are visual images an important aspect of this proposal but pieces of written evidence during this time frame provides written context to provide an understanding of how women were viewed as when performing certain societal roles. The exhibition will provide a new understanding of how the fight for women’s equality in the workplace changed since the time of WWII.
Throughout history the workplace has been a leading contributor to gender inequality in America. Starting with World War II there was a sense of responsibility for women to help grow the United States into a powerful war machine. This time has a huge significance to the exhibition due to the fact that this was one of the first times where women were filling a typically masculine role. The war allowed there to be a new perspective on women with influential messaging such as J. Howard Miller’s “We Can Do It!” which was created due to the inspiring women who worked in these manly job roles in order to help win the war. Not only were women found in these factory job roles but also as airplane engineers and nurses as well. This transformational perspective of women and their jobs during WWII was the catalyst that allowed job opportunities for women in America to become more available than ever before.
The Exhibit shows that women during WWII not only worked in factories to help the United States fight in World War II, but that they also helped provide for their families as well. Many women during this era felt as though certain state labor laws were responsible for restricting women’s daily and weekly hours. They felt this was necessary due to taking care of a single parent household while working in these factory jobs. Not only were women fighting domestically but also overseas as well in the Army Nurse Corps. It was said that women were more reliable in this role due to the understanding that female nurses were more compatible with wounded males compared to male nurses. Not only did the many people within the US Army see this as true but women fought to be the best nurses by wanting to complete as many physical examinations as they could to prove they were committed and capable. These two aspects of women and their roles in such crucial times shows how they fought to be the best individuals in their job roles and domestic lives.
Although the exhibit will incorporate World War II and how women fought for individual recognition within their job roles the exhibit will also display how, at the start of The Cold War, America’s consumer economy seemed to return the stereotype of women as homemakers. The US was seen to be benefiting economically by placing certain stereotypes on women in the household. This was evidenced by many commercialized products which incorporated women being seen using these products in the kitchen.
Following this, the exhibit will incorporate 1960’s and 1970’s where a second wave of feminists were once again creating influence towards individuality due to the passing of new laws. These laws included the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Civil Rights Act of 1964 and finally Title IX of 1972. It was women like Esther Peterson who was a secretary assistant and the director of the Women’s Bureau during the Kennedy administration that lead the campaign for the Equal Pay Act of 1963. Billie Jean King helped promote Title IX’s establishment by having a tennis match between her and another male tennis player calling it the “Battle of The Sexes.” Lastly it was courageous women like Rosa Parks who who refused to give up her seat to a white man which exemplified the necessity of Civil Rights Act of 1964. It was with the support of these laws thatopportunities for women began expanding rapidly. Long lived dreams of women were finally coming true. Some of the first women were even coming into male dominated areas such as finance. One individual who changed this male dominant area of work is Muriel Siebert who joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1967.
Finally the exhibit will discuss the present day and women such as Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, prove that as a result of these actions by courageous women females can begin to participate in certain areas of work where only men once did. By this it will prove that the evolution of women’s roles has created a new identity for women with a more individualized perspective. Women who once thought the best opportunity to prove themselves was in the factories are now some of the most renowned business owners in the world.