Stereotypes Of Women In The Workplace Essay

During World War II womens lives changed dramatically because they were being encouraged in the form of mass media and newspaper circulation to feel these jobs that were left vacant by men joining the service. Yes women still held stereotypical jobs roles but you could defininately see the tides was changing as these jobs that were normally only held by men were being offered to women and the rosie the riveter character only helped by solidify the message they were trying to convey. these jobs ranged from industrial, clericial and governemtn positons . Yes they were filling jobs that were previously held by men but benefits were reluctantly given such as equal pay, maternity leave, and even

Everyone in the world has a stereotype that they belong to. I have two that I struggle due to the images that are shown on television, especially in novelas, Spanish soap operas. The two are being a woman in this society and being Latina. I grew up to my mother watching these shows, I saw nothing but stereotypical roles especially for women, like being characterized as maids, servants, mothers, gold-diggers, prostitutes, and etc. These tv shows make women look dependent on a higher figure, in this case, a male. You can often see a woman with kids at home, cleaning and washing, waiting until her husband is home. Are women not capable of having a job, instead of being the typical stay at home mom?

For a very long time, stereotypes have been part of the society and culture, and to this day, they are still present. Stereotypes can be defined as “[oversimplifying] the image or idea of a particular type of person or thing” (Google Dictionary). A current event would be a female who cannot work in a factory because of her gender, or a male who cannot join ballet because of his gender. But what still occurs in our nation or the whole society is that stereotypes are generally directed against women. The stereotypes our society gives to women lead them to have lower positions in the workplace than men such as women are supposed to make less money than men, supposed to have “clean jobs”, and supposed to not have any technical skills. When women are “supposed” to have these certain positions, it makes them have an underprivileged characterization.

Prior to World War II, many women were unemployed, due to the Great Depression which had started a decade before. With men always getting preference for jobs, there were very few jobs left for women. Consequently, not only were many occupations were reserved for men, but men were also paid wages up to five times higher for the same task as women. Some states also barred married women from holding jobs. However during World War II, America produced at an efficiency which was higher than ever. This meant that the women had an increasing number of jobs. Jobs in the public sector opened up. Since 1939, women progressively changed the idea of patriarchy and the cliché thinking of an average woman in the United States to be a wife and mother.

From a young age, children are surrounded by influences that shape how they come to understand the world around them. With the formation of schemas during early childhood comes along the development of gender stereotypes and gender roles that have an impact on how children come to understand their own gender identity. Environmental factors such as peers, the media, and even parents perpetuate stereotypes through their own actions. Children come to understand gender during development through experiences that are shaped by their environment and perpetuated by their culture, which ultimately encourages gender stereotypes and conformity to gender roles.

Prior to World War II women were seen as house wives, taking care of children and tending the gardens. Women generally accepted these roles because family was a prior economic unit. Even during World War I the contributions were housewife like, washing clothing, cooking, helping the wounded, sewing, knitting clothing, and etc. The images of women taking care of the home while men were off working were so nailed into the head that some states banned women from jobs. Once the war started to take place the war effort was so great men and women had to set aside gender roles for the sake of their countries being. Women left families, education, and other jobs to work the jobs men took on while they were off serving the country in combat, etc.

Prior to WWII, American women would typically stay home. They cooked and cleaned, but all this soon changed. Once the U.S. officially entered World War II on December 7, 1941, following Pearl Harbor, many men were sent to fight. Since men were the main workforce, there was a lack of employees to complete the jobs left behind. Soon, however, these vacant spots would be replenished by a female workforce. Companies sent out propaganda in an attempt to convince women to work in previously “male” jobs. One such propaganda was “Rosie the Riveter”. Eventually, the amount of women working increased from 27% to 37%, and sixty-five percent of the aircraft industry was made up of women, by 1943. (History.com, American Women in World War II).Now, women not only worked at home, but on the battlefield as well. Approximately 350,000 women enrolled in the Armed Forces, and 100,00 became WACS(Women’s Army Corps). Nevertheless, these women at work, on the battlefield or at home, were not paid the same amount of money as the men who previously worked in these jobs. (History.com, American Women in World War II).

Propaganda posters like “Rosie the Riveter” suggested that the idea of women taking over the men’s roles was patriotic and was only showing strength and commitment to your family and country. Some examples of jobs undertaken by women in World War II where mechanics engineers plumbers take drivers etc. pre-World War II you would’ve never seen the women working in these fields as women were known to stay home and take care of the family will the men worked these heavily equipped jobs. “By 1943, about 261 000 women were involved in the production of war goods, accounting for more than 30% of the aircraft industry, close to 50% of the employees in many gun plants, and a distinct majority in munitions inspection

Before the war, women in America had typical lives, and many were wives and mothers. America was brought into the war unexpectedly when Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941. Hundreds of thousands of men were drafted into the war, leaving the women behind. America lost a lot of valuable, hard-working men to fight, and they needed people to fill their positions. According to history.com’s article, “American Women in World War II”, it was then when Rosie the Riveter was created to recruit women to become part of the “work force” (“American Women in World War II”). Rosie the Riveter was a fictional character who motivated women across the U.S. to take jobs in different industries, many of which were previously all-male positions.

Once World War II began, America was in desperate need of workers, so this gave women a food chance to find high-paying jobs. For example, about 350,000 women were able to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. There was an increase of job offers for women ranging from service pilots, military doctors, politicians, factory workers, and participation in the Armed Forces (Yellin 112, 299). “Between 1940 and 1945, the female percentage of the U.S. workforce increased from 27 percent to nearly 37 percent, and by 1945 nearly one out of every four married women worked outside the home” (“History” 1). If there is one person to thank for the new job opportunities, it is none other than the famous Rosie the Riveter. This well-known fictional woman served not only to promote the changes of fashion during the war, but was also used as a tool for recruiting women to work, especially in the Armed Forces, and it was a success. “In movies, newspapers, posters, photographs, articles, and even a Norman Rockwell-pained Saturday Evening Post cover, the Rosie the Riveter campaign stressed the patriotic need for women to enter the work force—and they did, in huge numbers” (“History” 1). Women began to get involved in organizations women in the earlier years were never imagined to work as such as the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) and Women’s Air force Service Pilots (WASP). “More than 310,000 women worked in the U.S. aircraft industry in 1943, representing 65 percent of the industry’s total workforce (compared to just 1 percent in the pre-war years)” (“History” 1). World War II offered women a chance to be more involved in the military and any high-paying occupation that was considered “too manly” before then, because of the wider range of job offers (“History”

A little girl in ancient greece sits in her wealthy parents estate, she stares out the window at her brother learning how to write in the courtyard from their private tutor. Her mother calls for her attention, but after a few sentences explaining that to properly hold a stitch in fabric you must double back when you start, her attention shifts back to the blue sky and the cobblestone paths that mapped out the open space of the courtyard. She's almost ten years old her father has already found a sutor eleven years older than her for her to marry. A soon to be mother stares at her degree, will she be able to pursue her career with her child. Never does shared responsibility cross her mind, after all its 1970 and its not the man's responsibility

During the time of How I Met Your Mother’s reign on television, the comical personalities of the characters help draw in more viewers, mostly males, in an adventure of male dominancy. Women’s wisdom and talent goes unappreciated and unnoticeable as the series progresses. Women are portrayed as either the sidekicks of the male characters or an instrument in which men use to fill their sexual needs. The women in the show are often dependent on the man’s advice and supposedly sound reasoning. The message from the show symbolizes that in a society without men, women would be emotionally deprived and crazed, but with men they can develop a self-actualization that is not achievable alone. There are many broader media images that also support

Since the beginning of time, gender has played a big role in how one acts and how one is looked upon in society. From a young age children are taught to be either feminine or masculine. Why is it that gender plays a big role in the characteristics that one beholds? For centuries in many countries it has been installed in individual’s heads that they have to live by certain stereotypes. Women have been taught to be feeble to men and depend on them for social and economical happiness. While men have been taught to be mucho characters that have take care of their homes and be the superior individual to a woman. For the individuals who dare to be different and choose to form their own identity whether man or woman, they are out casted and

Sexism is the ideology that maintains that one sex is inherently inferior to the other. Sexism or discrimination based on gender has been a social issue for many years; it is the ideology that one sex is superior or inferior to the other. Sexism does not only affect females, but also males. Men are very often victimized by social stereotypes and norms based on gender expectations. Sexism has appears in almost all social institutions including family, the media, religion, sports, the military, politics, and the government. However, although both genders are affected, men have benefited from sexism the most (Thompson 300-301.)

"For most of history, anonymous was a woman", quotes Virginia Woolf. (1) Throughout history, women’s lives were restricted to domesticity and family, and they were left oppressed and without political voice. Over the decades the roles of women have dramatically changed from chattels belonging to their husbands to gaining independence. Women became famous activists, thinkers, writers, and artists, like Frida Kahlo who was an important figure for women’s independence. The price women paid in their fight for equality was to die or be imprisoned along with men, and they were largely forgotten in written history. However, the roles they took on were wide-ranging which included working in factories, tending the troops, taking care of children