United States World War II Propaganda and the Workforce Machine

Abstract

Following the 1941 attacks on Pearl Harbor, the United States involvement in World War II had a significant impact on the workforce machine. The United States was still recovering from the effects of the Great Depression, with the unemployment rate hovering around 25%. During the war, American factories retooled to produce goods for the war effort, thus, the unemployment rate dropped almost overnight to around 10%. As more men were sent to the frontlines, women were hired to take over their assembly line jobs. Before World War II, women were generally discouraged from working outside the house. Amidst the war imbroglio, they were encouraged to take on jobs that had previously been considered exclusively for men. Taking Rosie the Riveter as a case study, this research explores the relationship between the US workforce machine shortage and the role of the World War II propaganda, as well as the role of visual propaganda in altering popular perception of women during wartime.