Parker 1
Women in Manufacturing:
An examination of WWII Propaganda Posters
Michelle Parker
Oct. 2nd 2012
Crystal Simmons
ECI 435
Parker 2
There are many iconic images of America from World War 2. The red, white and blue
Uncle Sam pointing his finger at men who need to join the military, the victory gardens of
Americans rationing their goods, and the stark images of wartime from Pearl Harbour and the DDay Invasion. Among these images lay the countless propaganda posters encouraging Americans
to take part in helping out with the war effort. From rationing to buying war bonds, the US
government tried to inform citizens on how they could do their part in the war. One of the most
famous posters is a woman wearing a blue-collared shirt and a red polka dotted bandana. She has
her forearm raised with the caption, “We Can Do it!” This famous poster was one of many
during the war that encouraged women to join the manufacturing industry. This paper seeks to
understand how these World War 2 propaganda posters portrayed women in the manufacturing
industry.
I. Historical Context
“December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America
was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”1
President Roosevelt’s famous words marked the beginning of the United States’ involvement in
World War 2. This was a war that engulfed the whole world in combat and required the support
of entire nations. America was no different. Thousands of men enlisted in the military, trained
for a few weeks, and then shipped out to fight in Europe and the South Pacific. American
factories pushed out airplanes, tanks, guns, helmets, and other metal crafts to support the war.
_____________________________
1. Roosevelt, Franklin. "Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation." Decem 08 1941. Web.
Parker 3
The problem arose that so many men joined the military, feeling it was their patriotic duty, that
there was a shortage of workers. The women, who could not fight, left home, moved in to take
over the originally male-dominated jobs. They did so to keep the war effort going in America
and ensure Victory for the Allies. The federal government and many large companies
encouraged Americans to help the war effort with propaganda posters. There were even posters
created to target women and encourage them to join the manufacturing workforce, to help fill the
spots left vacant by their husbands, brothers, and friends fighting in the war. It seems that this
campaign was quite effective. “Between 1940 and 1945, the female percentage of the U.S.
workforce increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent.”2 In the end, women joined the
manufacturing workforce and became a permanent fixture in the American work force.
II. Analysis
Artists and photographers often portray women in a certain light in order to get across a
certain point. The same is true for the WWII propaganda posters depicting women in the
manufacturing industry. The “We can do it!”, “Work! So they can live!”, “Tradition” and
Hercules posters are all examples of such posters. The WWII Propaganda posters encouraging
women to join the manufacturing industry clearly display white, middle-class, clean, and
groomed American women. The posters depict the women as strong and independent, yet still
falling into the category of beautiful and dainty like a housewife of the 1940s. The slogans call to
women to support America, as part of their patriotic duty, to join the workforce and help the US
_____________________________
2. “Rosie the Riveter,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/topics/rosie-theriveter (accessed Oct 5, 2012).
Parker 4
win.
The manufacturing posters display a strong, determined young woman. The “We can do
it!” poster shows a woman with her shirt sleeve rolled up and her forearm flexed to reveal her
muscles.3 The determined smirk and a raised eyebrow show that this woman is ready to take on
anything to help out her country. The slogan itself, “We Can Do It!”, evokes the can-do attitude,
that the woman in the picture and any woman can help with the war effort. The “Tradition”
Poster displays that same can-do attitude. The complimentary women, one from wartime long
past, and one from the current day, both are hard at work with a smile on their face.4 The slogan
too tells how they are determined workers. “It’s tradition with us.” This caption describes how
woman have been involved in war efforts before and are ready for any work thrown at them.
Both of these posters show a strong, determined woman that any woman during the time period
would aspire to be.
These posters also evoke a spirit of patriotism. One way they do this is through the use of
the colors of the American flag: red, white, and blue. The “Tradition” and “We can do it”
posters both are printed primary in blue and red with white and black backgrounds. The women
in each poster wear blue shirts with a red and white bandana. These colors evoke images of the
American flag and work doubly to promote a patriotic spirit. The “Work” poster also utlitizes the
red, white, and blue color scheme, but it also includes the familiar patriotic image, Uncle Sam.5
_____________________________
3. Miller, J., We Can Do It!," 1942-3. Poster. National Archives #535413.
4. “It’s a Tradition with us, Mister!” 1942-3. Poster. National Archives #535414.
5. “Work! so they can fight!” 1942-3. Poster.National Archives #535418.
Parker 5
He became famous in the “I want you” posters encouraging young men to enlist. In this poster,
Uncle Sam encourages young women to work so that the able-bodied young men can go fight in
the war. The patriotic colors and use of images creates a patriotic and very American feel to the
posters. This evokes the idea that a woman who supports her country by working in
manufacturing is patriotic.
It is interesting to note that in all of the posters, the women pictured are well-groomed
and manicured. All of the women are wearing make-up and have their hair done up in an
elaborate style. For example, the “Tradition” poster shows the woman working in industry
wearing a blue coverall suit and a red bandana.6 However, one can see that the hair peeking out
from her bandana is not messy or sweaty. It is done up in the perfect Victory curls style, not a
hair out of place. The woman in the “We can do it” poster also appears to have manicured nails.
This seems impractical for a woman who is going out to work in a factory with machines and
equipment. The message sent by the beautiful women seems to be that a woman who works for
her country is beautiful.
The women in all of these posters are also middle-class, white Americans. All of the
women are white and have pale skin, including the woman in the Hercules poster. The Hercules
poster is different from the other three because it shows a black and white photograph in the
poster instead of a drawing. The woman in this poster appears to be a real factory worker. She
has pale skin and is wearing a collared shirt and a cap. The woman is also wearing a nice-looking
_____________________________
6. “It’s a Tradition with us, Mister!” 1942-3. Poster. National Archives #535414.
7. Hercules. 1942-3. Poster. National Archives #535416.
Parker 6
watch. From this, one can gather that she looks middle-class. She isn’t well to do, with pearl
earrings or lots of jewelry, but she has a nice looking watch that someone from the lower class
couldn’t afford. The caption reads, “I’m glad of the chance to do something real while my
husband’s in the Army.”8 This quote conveys the idea that the woman does not need to work in
order to support her family, like someone from the lower class might, but that she works in order
to do something for her country. Like mentioned previously, all of the women in the posters are
white women. There are no other races depicted in these posters. American society during this
time period was still very segregated and racist. According to these posters, the typical and
patriotic American woman is a middle class, white woman.
Women in the manufacturing industry was a controversial idea at the time. Women
would be doing work that was meant for men. This broke the gender roles of the time. The
woman was meant to stay at home and the man worked in manual labor. Instead, women were
both being a housewife and going to work. The propaganda posters that depict women in
manufacturing though, seem to work to reconcile the gender roles. The women in the posters
look beautiful and dainty, including the real-life Hercules woman9, while working hard in a
manufacturing role. For example, the “Tradition” poster shows a woman wearing make-up (
blush, mascara, lipstick, and nail polish) while she operates a riveting machine one-handed.10
The woman still appears in her tradition gender role with her makeup, hairstyle, and grooming
_____________________________
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. “It’s a Tradition with us, Mister!” 1942-3. Poster. National Archives #535414.
Parker 7
which seems to make her work in the man’s role seem okay. She still appears womanly even
while she works hard for America.
In the end, the propaganda posters of WWII depict strong, independent, beautiful, white,
middle-class, American women in the manufacturing workplace. While many people are familiar
with the Rosie the Riveter character from the “We can do it” poster, they may not recognize all
the finite details that create the iconic image. These women in the manufacturing industry were
strong, beautiful, and hard-working as they help American to win the war.
Parker 8
Bibliography
Hercules. 1942-3. Poster. National Archives #535416.
http://research.archives.gov/description/535416.
“It’s a Tradition with us, Mister!” 1942-3. Poster. National Archives #535414.
http://research.archives.gov/description/535414.
Miller, J., We Can Do It!," 1942-3. Poster. National Archives #535413.
http://research.archives.gov/description/535413.
Roosevelt, Franklin. "Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation." 12 08 1941. Web.
http://www.famous-speeches-and-speech-topics.info/presidential-speeches/franklin-droosevelt-pearl-harbor-speech.htm.
“Rosie the Riveter,” The History Channel website,
http://www.history.com/topics/rosie-the-riveter (accessed Oct 5, 2012).
“Work! so they can fight!” 1942-3. Poster.National Archives #535418.
http://research.archives.gov/description/535418.