This title comes from the poster “It’s a woman’s war too!”.

Understanding Goal The students will learn and understand the importance of women on the U.S. home front during United States involvement in World War II. The students will observe the ways that the roles of women in the workforce dramatically changed shifts, from the house to the military.

Investigative Question What was the significance of women in the workforce during World War II? Rosie the Riveter. This painting by Norman Rockwell was found at

Useful Prior Information 1929 – Stock Market Crashes Mass shortage of jobs for men and women Extremely poor families September 1 st, 1939, Germany invades Poland and starts World War II. December 7 th, 1941 – The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor in Hawaii The United States declares war. Men begin services in Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Most women left at home.

What are women doing prior to the war? Women work at home taking care of the housework and the children while the men are at work. Gender roles were beginning to take up a larger percentage of the workforce, but was still a small aspect. As the United States entered the war, the role of women emerged as a major staple of the economy. Let’s analyze some pictures!!!!!

Image 1 This image comes from

Image 1 Handout What is this woman doing? Where do you think she is working? Who do you think this poster is created for What does the overall title of the poster saying? What does it mean?

Image 1 Information Title: This girl in a glass house is putting finishing touches on the bombadier nose section of a B-17F navy bomber, Long Beach, Calif. She's one of many capable women workers in the Douglas Aircraft Company plant... Date: October 1942 Creator: Alfred Palmer Description: This is a photograph of a woman working on a B-17 Bomber in the United States in 1942, ten months after the United States Declaration of War against Japan on December 8 th, Notes: As the title mentions, this woman is one of the many capable workers at the Douglas Aircraft Company, a major distributor of military aircraft during World War II.

Image 2 This poster was taken from the Library of Congress:

Image 2 Handout What is this woman working on in this poster? Where did she learn to do this? How does this poster depict women in the workforce during World War II?

Image 2 Information Title: Women in the war : we can't win without them. Date: 1942 Creator: War Manpower Commission Description: This poster is showing a women working on a bomb casing. One of the main jobs for women was to work on ammunition and other weaponry, such as bombs and shells.

Image 3 This cartoon was taken from the Library of Congress.

Image 3 Handout What is this women doing? Where do you think she might be working? What is the difference between the two women? What is the significance of the man on top? How does this photograph depict women working during World War II?

Image 3 Information Title: "And then in my spare time..." Date: 1943 Creator: Barnes, Bob Description: This cartoon depicts women working on a Naval ship. One of the women as a child in one arm and a riveter in the other. The woman has small children tugging at her clothes. This signifies that all women during that time were in charge of not only their jobs at the factory, but also the jobs at home.

Image 4 This poster was taken from the Library of Congress:

Image 4 Handout What are the characteristics of the woman in the poster? What about the man? What does the phrase on the poster tell you about society? What does this image tell you about women in the workforce?

Image 4 Information Title: "Good work, sister: we never figured you could do a man-size job!" America's women have met the test! Date: around 1944 Creator: Packer Description: Around 1944, World War II was approaching the last level. In the poster, there is a male worker and a female worker sitting next to each other. The male worker is amazed at how women have become a major aspect of World War II and how women can “hold their own” in a workplace among men.

Image 5 This poster was taken from the Library of Congress:

Image 5 Handout Why are the men in this photo smiling? Why is it important that this woman is on a poster? What does this image tell you about women in the workforce during World War II?

Image 5 Information Title: Their real pin-up girl. Date: 1944 Creator: Hungerford, Cyrus C. Description: This is a poster depicting the importance of women workers compared to men. During World War II, pin-ups of women were a major staple of a soldier’s life. The men are admiring the pin-up of the woman worker as they would any of the famous women they originally had. This poster shows the importance of the women working and how men admired it.

Summary Women became a major aspect of the economy of the United States. Once women began working, the United States began to emerge from the Depression. Women began to work on many levels, including factory work, radio, manufacturing (bullets and machine parts), communication (news reporters), and even a part of the military (nurses, radio, and photographer), a major change in the United States. By the end of World War II, 35% of the total workforce was occupied by women. In the end, it can be said that it’s a woman’s war too.

Image 6: Assessment This poster comes from the Library of Congress:

Image 6 Information Title: There's work to be done and a war to be won... now! See your U.S. Employment Service War Manpower Commission. Creator: Grant, Vernon Date: 1944 Description: This poster depicts women working different jobs, showing how diverse women are in the workforce. The women are building a statue of the word WOMEN, showing how significant women were during World War II.

Image 6 Handout Directions: Analyze the image and write a short essay (2-3 pages max) answering the following questions: What kind of jobs are these women working? What are these women working on in this poster? How does this poster depict women in the workforce?

Rubric: Checklist Student Name:POOR (1-2)AVERAGE (3-4)EXCELLENT (5-6)TOTAL /12 CLARITYThe student uses poor grammar and misspelling of words. The overall essay is not clear or hard to understand. The student uses good grammar and has some minor misspelling of words. The overall essay is clear but somewhat hard to understand. The student used excellent grammar and has no misspelling of words. The overall essay is clear and easy to understand. DETAILThe overall essay lacks coherence with the thesis. The student does not provide adequate detail to support the thesis. The essay has coherence with the thesis. The student uses details, but lacks in information to support the thesis. The essay has coherence with the thesis. The student uses details and has adequate information to support the thesis. ORGANIZATIONThe student does not apply the procedures for writing an essay (Introduction, Thesis, Body, Conclusion). The student applies some of the procedures for writing an essay (Introduction, Thesis, Body, Conclusion). The student applies all of the procedures for writing an essay (Introduction, Thesis, Body, Conclusion), Total /12