Women in the work force
Throughout the 20th century, women in the workforce increased rampantly. The first increase of women working was in the 1920s. 8.3 million women older than the age of fifteen worked outside the home. By 1930, this number was 11 million. This was a large jump for the time, but in the mid 1930s 80% of Americans still objected to women working outside the home.
World War II and the 1940s are the greatest example of extending the places where women could work. This was one of the first times the American government had actually pressured women to work in hard labor jobs such as in factories. One of the biggest propaganda symbols was Rosie the Riveter. This and other pro-factory work icons showed women rolling up their sleeves and building war materials. Since at this time women working was considered patriotic, between 1940 and 1945 womens presence in the labor force grew by more than 50%.
Another big step taken in the 1940s was that the average person was more accepting of women working. By 1942 only 40% still disapproved of women working, compared to the mid-1930s percent of 80. The problem with this was that after the war was over, although many women wanted to keep their jobs, it became, again, socially unacceptable to work. Many women had to quit their jobs or continue to rely on men as pay for women fell from $50 a week to $37.
