Paper presented on September 22th, 2014 at Seminario Internacional Moving Women: Nomads in the City? of Instituto Franklin, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares. The Second World War proved to be a transcendental time for women. The path initiated by women in the workplace in WWII did not fall on deaf ears and served to lay the foundations for unprecedented social change: daughters and granddaughters of so many “Rosies the Riveters” continued their struggle for equality.

1. © Sergio Mena, 2014. @menasergio
Rearguard: Representation of War Effort of American Women During WWII
Rearguard:
Representation of
War Effort of American
Women During WWII
Sergio Mena
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
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2. © Sergio Mena, 2014. @menasergio
Rearguard: Representation of War Effort of American Women During WWII
Introduction
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The Facts
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Women on the
Front
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Rearguard: Representation of War Effort of American Women During WWII
WAC: Women Army Corps
WAVES: Women Accepted for Volunteer
Emergency Services
WASP: Women Airforce Service Pilots
WAAC: Women Army Auxiliary Corps
SPARS: "Semper Paratus" Always Ready (Coast
Guards)
USMCWR: United Status Marines Corps
Women´s Reserve
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Homefront
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The
Representations
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Posters
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Rearguard: Representation of War Effort of American Women During WWII
Rosie
the
Riveter
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Rosie
the
Riveter
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Rosie
the
Riveter
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Rearguard: Representation of War Effort of American Women During WWII
Rosie
the
Riveter
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Movies
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Women on the
Front
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Homefront
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After the War
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Rearguard: Representation of War Effort of American Women During WWII
Conclutions
- The needs of the war led many women to break the pattern of
mother and family to join the war effort
- The United States government used the female labor force as a
propaganda claim
- After the war, many of the structures that were created to
accommodate women in industry and in the military were dismantled.
- La independencia económica y profesional que supuso esta
experiencia para muchas mujeres propició el movimiento de liberación
que se experimentó a partir de los años 60.
- The economic and professional independence experience led many
women to the liberation movement that erupted from the 60s.
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58. © Sergio Mena, 2014. @menasergio
Rearguard: Representation of War Effort of American Women During WWII
THANKS
VERY MUCH
Sergio Mena
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
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