Rosie the Riveter
Allegorical icon of women's wartime factory work.
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In the United States, Rosie the Riveter serves as an allegorical cultural icon representing the women who labored in factories and shipyards during World War II, with many of them manufacturing munitions and war supplies.[1] Within the women's empowerment movement, she enjoys broad recognition.[1] Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb wrote a song titled "Rosie the Riveter" in 1942, which marked the initial usage of that term.[2]
Key facts and history
Nearly 19 million women held jobs during World War II, with only three million being new female workers.[3] Women responded to the national need by filling positions traditionally held by men, including operating heavy machinery and building aircraft.[4] Forty women were hired by Pan American Airways to replace men in the repair and maintenance department at LaGuardia airfield.[4] In 1942, Pittsburgh artist J. Howard Miller created the "We Can Do It!" poster for Westinghouse, which was later called "Rosie the Riveter" though not during the war.[5]
Norman Rockwell's image of "Rosie the Riveter" appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post on May 29, 1943.[6] To assist women in the workforce, the Lanham Act of 1940 established the first and only nearly universal federal child care system in the United States.[7] By 1947, the proportion of women in the workforce had decreased from 36% down to 28%.[8]
What the cited sources add
A 2014 Guardian article by Winson states that Rosie the Riveter is still feminism's most visible icon of a working woman.[9] The Guardian article notes that the bicep-curling version popular today was designed by J. Howard Miller, who took inspiration from tired, oil-covered workers but washed them down and dolled them up.[9] The Pittsburgh Riveters SC announcement explains that the team's name pays homage to Pittsburgh's industrial heritage and incorporates the iconic image of Rosie the Riveter.[10] The same announcement states that the popular image of Rosie first gained recognition in a 1943 poster with the slogan "We Can Do It," created by J. Howard Miller, a Pittsburgh-area native.[10]
The Pittsburgh Riveters SC announcement describes Rosie as a symbol of strength, resilience, and female empowerment dating back to World War II.[10]
References
- Wikipedia, "Rosie the Riveter" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Duncan, "World Politics in the Twenty-first Century Brief", Houghton Mifflin College Div, 2008, p. 268 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Rosie the Riveter" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "45 discography for Apollo Records", www.globaldogproductions.info (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Rosie the Riveter" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Keene, "Visions of America, A History of the United States", Pearson Education Inc., 2013, p. 697–698 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Rosie the Riveter" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wolfert, "Feminine "Grease Monkeys" Girls Tune Up Giant Planes", The Miami News, 8 February 1942, p. 1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Rosie the Riveter" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Tale of two Rosie the Riveters untangled", Lansing State Journal (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Rosie the Riveter" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Young, "World War II and the Postwar Years in America: A Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia", ABC-CLIO, 2010, p. 606 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Rosie the Riveter" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Child Care: The Federal Role During World War II" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Rosie the Riveter" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Keene, "Visions of America, A History of the United States", Pearson Education Inc., 2013, p. 698 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Winson, "Sorry Beyoncé, Rosie the Riveter is no feminist icon. Here's why", The Guardian, July 23, 2014. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
- "Pittsburgh Riveters unveiled as name, logo for W League team", Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, September 8, 2024. facts only, no text reused. riverhounds.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Rosie the Riveter (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Rosie the Riveter (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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