Women in Industry: WWII and Rosie Riveter

The work of women was pivotal to the success of America in the war, “Women in uniform took office and clerical jobs in the armed forces in order to free men to fight. They also drove trucks, repaired airplanes, worked as laboratory technicians, rigged parachutes, served as radio operators, analyzed photographs, flew military aircraft across the country, test-flew newly repaired planes, and even trained anti-aircraft artillery gunners by acting as flying targets. Some women served near the front lines in the Army Nurse Corps, where 16 were killed as a result of direct enemy fire. Sixty-eight American service women were captured as POWs in the Philippines. More than 1,600 nurses were decorated for bravery under fire and meritorious service, and 565 WACs in the Pacific Theater won combat decorations. Nurses were in Normandy on D-plus-four” (NationalWW2Museum.org). Despite their outstanding work, women were forced to return home to care for their families, and relinquish their jobs to men who returned from battle. Sadly, women are still expected to step aside in order a to support the professional advancement of men. Whether it’s giving up her career to be a stay-at-home mom so her husband can work, or a co-worker allowing her male colleague to take credit for her idea that earns him a promotion, women’s aspirations are constantly put on the back burner. After years of fighting for equity in the workplace, and at home, “The time is long overdue to encourage more women to dream the possible dream and encourage more men to support women in the workforce and in the home” (Sandberg, pg. 11).

Comments

How Women are Promoting Eachother

Women often remain unheard within the workplace, particularly in business settings which are dominated by men. Often times women will remain silent, because they assume their ideas or opinions will be overlooked, or a male colleague will attempt to take credit for their proposal. According to Entrepreneur.com, women working within the Obama administration started using a method called amplification, “ When a woman proposed an insight or solution, the other women would repeat it in agreement to amplify the point. This helped everyone, both men and women, recognize the contribution coming from the woman who first proposed the idea” (Lee, 2017). We often see a competitive atmosphere in business among women, because they feel they need to be harder and less empathetic in order to advance at the same pace that their male coworkers can. The only way that women can create an atmosphere that will create opportunities for the advancement and promotion of women within the bu...

Women in Banking

According to Sheryl Sandberg in her groundbreaking book Lean In, “Women became 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States in the 1980s. Since then, women have slowly and steadily advanced, earning more and more of the college degrees, taking more of the entry-level jobs, and entering more fields previously dominated by men. Despite these gains, the percentage of women at the top of corporate America has barely budged over the past decade. A meager 21 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women” (Sandberg, pg. 5). I talked to a few women who work within the business realm, and they acknowledge the need for women within the workplace. Laura works as an Assistant Branch Manager for Citizens Bank, and she states, “Women in the field I feel are a doubled edged sword. We are perceived as less knowledgeable, especially around business accounts versus personal accounts. Banking is traditionally seen as a man’s role where the teller side is more traditionally ...

Women, Motherhood, and "Juggling it All"

The importance of professional support within the workplace is paramount for success, particularly for women, as I have mentioned. However, the need for support when it comes to other aspects of life that impact a woman’s work are just as important. Women are often expected to do everything, have a job, care for their families, keep a perfect house, and make an America’s Top Chef worthy dinner for their Mother-in-Law should she decide to come for dinner. This is an archaic gender stereotype. The expectation that women are to manage all domestic responsibilities and work full time is enough to instill panic in any aspiring female professional. According to Lean In, “In the last thirty years women have made more progress in the workforce than in the home. According to the most recent analysis, when a husband and wife both are employed full-time, the mother does 40% more housework than the father. A 2009 survey found that only 9% of people in dual-earner marriages said they shared house...

Strategies to Help Women Succeed in Business

Search This Blog