Who Was Rosie the Riveter?

At Michigan Rosies, we want everyone to know about Rosie the Riveter in World War II!

Rosie the Riveter was the nickname for the 6 million women who joined the work force during World War II. Women were needed for war production to build planes, ships, and tanks for the war. Back then, in the 1940s, factory work was considered men’s work and unsuitable for women. Times were different, and women were expected to stay at home and care for their families. People were afraid that women couldn’t do such rough, hard work. But with almost 16 million American men joining the service and going to war, it was the women they left behind who would have to build the planes, ships, tanks and guns they needed. Rosie and her sisters performed admirably and not only helped win the war, they proved without a doubt that, “We Can Do It!” Because of the Rosie the Riveters of WWII, women and girls today have the opportunity to do any kind of work they desire.

Women working in war production jobs were not only riveters. They were welders, buckers, drill press operators, clerical and payroll workers, cafeteria workers, plant custodians, and more. All of these jobs were important war production jobs. Women were also called to work for the wartime government as codebreakers, mathematicians, clerical workers, and more. Women were allowed to join the armed forces for the first time during WWII and they enlisted as Army WACs, Navy WAVES, Air Force WASPS (actually a civilian corps), women Marines and Coast Guard Spars. These women were assigned to noncombat roles, each one freeing up a man to fight. These women served with honor.

As more and more men went off to fight, women were needed in many more essential jobs vacated by men. These jobs also had been considered men’s work and unsuitable for women. So now for the first time, people saw lady bus drivers, gas station attendants, security guards, war correspondents, railroad workers, pro baseball players, and more! They were doing jobs that women had never done before. Women even stepped in to become lumberjills and department store Santas. With fathers and brothers fighting overseas, many women were left to run the family farm or business by themselves.

And women did important volunteer work, too. They collected scrap metal for the war effort, they planted Victory Gardens, they entertained at USO shows, worked for the Red Cross, and served as Civil Defense wardens in their neighborhoods.

Rosie the Riveter is a catchy nickname that includes all of these women. There was also Wendy the Welder, Sheila the Shell-loader, Flossie the Filling Station Jockey, and Shirley the Shortstop. But Rosie was and still is the nickname that seemed to best capture the patriotic and hardworking spirit of women in wartime. All of the women described above deserve to be honored as Rosie the Riveter, because we could not have won World War II without all of the important contributions of American women.