WWII Women on the Home Front: Correcting a 60 Year Old Misconception
For over 60 years, women who worked in "men's jobs" during World War II are called "Rosie the Riveter". It is time to recognize the many women in the defense trades who were not riveters.
(PRWEB) February 17, 2005 -- “No. We were not Rosie the Riveter. We welded
ships. Rosie got all the attention. No one even gave us a name.” – Ann Jurjevic
Thomas in “Don’t Call Me Rosie, the Women who Welded the LSTs and the Men who
Sailed on Them”
Rosie the Riveter was the U.S. Government’s icon during
World War II and posters showing Rosie were produced to encourage women to join
the work force. Women went to the airplane factories, the shipyards, the
munitions factories, and other defense related industries and performed work
that was considered “men’s jobs”.
Although today we try to honor these
women by calling them Rosie the Riveter, if you ask a woman welder who worked in
the shipyard if she was a Rosie, she might tell you no. She will then explain to
you that welding is different than riveting.
If the U.S. government had
come out with a different icon, for example “Doris the Defense Worker”, these
women would have felt more connected to it. As an example, if one called all
doctors, “Sam the Surgeon”, this might create a detachment for those who are
general practitioners, pediatricians, gynecologists, internists,
etc.
Recognizing that Rosie the Riveter does not represent the thousands
of women who worked in the other trades during World War II does in no way
lessen the importance of those who really were Rosies. All of the women who
worked on the home front during World War II are very proud of their
accomplishments and contribution to the war effort. But if we want to truly
remember them, then we need to find an all-encompassing icon.
Kathleen
Thomas is author of the book, “Don’t Call Me Rosie, the Women who Welded the
LSTs and the Men who Sailed on Them.”
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb209850.htm