When people think of Rosie the Riveter they immediately go back to the iconic image of the young woman bearing her bicep saying, “We Can Do It.”
What people do not know is the story behind that image or the story of that woman. Many people don’t even know the name of the actual woman pictured. Geraldine Doyle, better known as Rosie, had no idea the influence she had on women over so many decades. In fact, Doyle did not find out the image was of her until the 1980s, more than 30 years after the poster had been made. The photo was taken of Doyle when she was working in a factory, which was very uncommon at that time. She had a family of five children, 18 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. Doyle passed away at the age of 86 in 2010.
The powerful image represents female strength, feminism and working women. The poster first helped recruit women into the workforce during WWII.
The wartime propaganda was all about getting people to work. The main focus of this work was on white middle-class women. In this period, the female workforce grew by 6.5 million.
During the 1950s the role of the poster changed. They would use Rosie with images of homemakers and commercials regarding women’s duties in the household. The idea was to get the women back into the home working to support their family in the home-life. That quickly changed.
Rosie’s image went on to create an incredible impact on women’s efforts all over the country. Rosie the Riveter High School was founded to allow training for young women to seek careers in trades like plumbing, welding and carpentry. This opened up positions in the non-traditional workplace for women. Other areas that were founded in Rosie’s honor were places such as Rosie’s Girls in Vermont, a welding camp for young women to learn the trade. There is also a Rosie the Riveter National Park and Rosie the Riveter US Stamps. Celebrities and public figures are using the image to represent themselves today.
In the 1980s, Rosie the Riveter began to be used as the image for women’s equality in the workplace. To this day, we are still fighting for that right. This image represents much more than just a woman. It represents the strong force that all women could be if allowed.
