American History on the Web: World War II

Learn about the Women's Army Corps at http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/brochures/wac/wac.htm. Then, read all five sections of http://history.acusd.edu/gen/st/~cg3/outline.html to learn about World War II's effect on women's employment in the United States.


1		Compare and contrast the WAC and the United States Army in World War II.



2		Explain the shifts in American women's employment rate and type of work outside the home during and after World War II.



3		How did propaganda encourage women to work outside the home during the war? How did it then suggest they return to their domestic lives after the war?



4		This propaganda illustrates 1940s attitudes toward women and conceptions of American femininity. What are they? How do they differ from the 1920s?



5		Who was "Rosie the Riveter?" What was the public's opinion of her? How did women, specifically, see her?



6		What happened to women's employment and attitudes about working women after the war? Was society's perception of women and "woman" different from its perception in 1940?

2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.