Subject Area
History
Description
This thesis examines the dramatic change from the empowering image of women workers that appeared in World War II advertisements and the domestic picture of women’s lives as depicted in the Cold War era. In examining this transformation, I seek to understand why there was such a drastic shift and how it affected real women. I examined hundreds of advertisements from the 1940s and 1950s that featured women in domestic or workplace roles. Contrary to the popular image of Rosie the Riveter, World War II era advertisements did not truly empower women. Instead, the emphasized women’s war work as a temporary sacrifice that would allow their husbands to come home sooner so they could return to traditional domestic roles. The Cold War focus on the nuclear family reinforced this domestic ideal, regardless of a woman’s personal or economic goals. This thesis examines the importance of advertising in both shaping and reflecting the role of women in the workplace. Rather than studying each period individually, I placed the consecutive periods in conversation with each other to understand the drastic change in advertising messages directed at women about their work roles.
Publisher
Providence College
Academic Year
2022-2023
Date
Spring 2023
Type
Thesis
Format
Text
Language
English
