Rosie the Riveter and the Kitchen Soldier : Fighting the Second World War from Wilmington, North Carolina

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine whether or not traditional gender norms remained standing at the conclusion of World War II in Wilmington, North Carolina. This topic would have been impossible to cover on a national scale, which is the reason this thesis focuses on the city of Wilmington. Wilmington was home to the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, nearby Camp Davis and Camp Lejeune, and Fort Fisher. The introduction of the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company and military families to the city led to a dramatic increase in population, which resulted in some positive and negative effects, including housing, transportation, and food shortages. Life changed completely for Wilmingtonians, particularly women, with the United States entry into the war in December 1941, transforming Wilmington into a wartime boomtown. From 1941-1945, women experienced significant changes, as the government called upon them to fill traditionally male jobs in the workforce. Although the war presented new obligations for women, some aspects of society remained the same. Through the use of various newspaper articles and advertisements, this thesis shows the way the Office of War Information and corporations attempted to uphold traditional gender norms throughout the war. One method examined in this study is the way advertisements focused on war workers protecting their feminine identity and taking a motherly role in saving the nation. Another method focused on the way articles and advertisements presented women working within the home to remind women that they should focus on their role in the private sector. These, as well as the important role women played in the home during the war, will be explored to determine whether traditional gender norms remained standing at the end of World War II.