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Who was Rosie the Riveter?

"Rosie the Riveter" was an expression applied to women who worked in factories during World War II (1939–45). Because so many men were serving in the military, there was a shortage of factory workers. As a result, many women donned pants and went to work outside the home in plants that had been converted from manufacturing automobiles to making airplanes, ships, and weapons for the war. After the war most "Rosies" lost their jobs to returning servicemen.

Further Information: Colman, Penny. Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II. New York: Crown, 1995; Rosie the Riveter. [Online] Available http://www.pointrichmond.com/rosie/index.htm, October 30, 2000.

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