Women in the Labor Force

Term Paper # 118542

History > U.S. World Wars
Labor Studies
Women Studies > Women and Society

A look at growing trend of women in the labor force during World War II and how this trend has impacted the United States.

1,164 words () | 6 sources | MLA | 2010 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper refers to articles and books that point out how the major trend of women in the labor force began, how an active labor force has continued to be essential at keeping the United States economy stabilized and how workplaces are still catering to the needs of men. The paper also discusses how women have continued to struggle in juggling their social obligations along with their work demands and how this need for women to spend less time at home has prompted manufacturers to create gadgets that will reduce the time it takes to do housework. The paper reaches the conclusion that although women continue to struggle with balancing their lives with their domestic duties, it appears they are happy with the independence, power and freedom that working in the labor force afford them.

From the Paper:

"The current culture in the United States is still struggling with the idea of women participating in the labor force rather than staying at home as a housewife. But the economic needs in both the labor force and the income of the average American family dictate that women need to continue to work. Women in the labor force contribute to the economic stability of the United States while they contribute to the income of their families (Blackwelder, xii). This trend, according to Julia Blackwelder in her book Hiring Now: Feminization of Work in the United States, began at the turn of the century during the Industrial Revolution, and was pushed even harder during World War II (4)."

Sample of Sources Used:

Blackwelder, Julia Kirk. Now Hiring: The Feminization of Work in the United States, 1900-1995. Texas: Texas A&M UP, 1997.
Engemann, Kristie, and Michael Owyang. "Labor Force Participation by MarriedWomen." April 19, 2006. Economist's View. 3 May 2008:<http:www.//economistsview.typepad.com/
Kirby, Mark. Sociology in Perspective. Oxford: Heinemann, 2000.
Kremen, Elenor, and Gertrude Schaffner Goldberg, eds. The Feminization of Poverty Only in America. Westport: Greenwood, 1990.
Kessler-Harris, Alice. "Women's History in the New Millennium: Reframing the History of Women's Wage Labor: Challenges of a Global Perspective." Journal of Women's History 15.4 (Wntr 2004): 186(22). General Reference Center Gold. Gale. Carlsbad City Library. 3 May 2008 <http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodId=GRGM>.