Rosie Returns to the Kitchen! Or Does She? Women in Postwar Erie, 1946-1960

Abstract

As World War II came to a close, female workers or “Rosies” knew enough about American culture to understand that even though they had rallied to the nation’s call for assistance during wartime they would be forced out of their jobs for the returning male population. In Erie’s General Electric plant, women also raised questions about their future with the company. In the article entitled “Questions Bring Much Information” in the GE Erie Works News, female workers asked, “must women give up their jobs to men?” Indeed, would Erie’s “Rosies” return to the kitchen?