Summary. Propelling the American woman into the workforce.

Unlike the previous chapter, chapter nine of Streitmatter illustrates how the Fourth Estate contributed to the advancement of women and helped propel American women into the workforce. And also shows how powerful the media really is.  During World War two when ten million healthy working men were away at war, the United States faced a severe shortage of manpower. It was a very critical time for the country which was already facing a huge shortage of military weapons compared to the Japanese and Germans. Faced with such a desperate situation, the country turned to women. Using the media as a propaganda machine, the country/government encouraged women to work . Most women were quick to join the workforce and the media started to give women  very positive coverage  by showing the public positive images of working women to encourage non working women the benefits of being in the workforce. No longer were women expected to be confined to the four walls of the kitchen or ironing clothes to feel complete as an individual. In contrast, it was now perfectly acceptable to be carrying machine guns and operating a fifteen ton crane. In order to aid the government efforts the media started to work on spreading the message and propaganda Radio, well established newspapers and magazines had massive coverages, proposals, articles and headlines specifically addressing women to become female worker by showing them how working women were making a difference. Photos of women working at their tasks and even pictures of student nurses were used.  The next task that the media was faced with was to erase the perception that a working woman only signified a weak husband who was unable to support his family. Glamorizing the working women was their next strategy. Images of beautiful feminine women were used in magazines and slacks and overalls were described as the new black and chic. Despite that, the media made sure to reassure their male audience that a woman's capabilities was not all about her looks but also her ability to perform at her job as well as a male. The news media praised her strengths which included dexterity, longer attention spans and eye for details. The media also continued to reassure the public that her duties as a wife and mother was not neglected due to working and wrote stories of fictional characters fulfilling her responsibilities as a mother, wife and working woman. It was patriotic to work and the drive for victory was fueled through the media.  Margaret Bourke-White was the epitome of the new American woman who used stunning photos and told exciting stories of wartime in Life Magazine. The media became aware that a picture was able to tell a thousand words . Editors started filling their magazines and papers with high quality photos.  Despite many different images of the working women, whether she was depicted as rugged or resembling a Hollywood starlet, it was the picture of a woman at her work station welding, drilling and operating engines that were the most powerful ones. Between 1940 to 1944, working women were doubled in the workforce and it showed the country that females were capable of succeeding and through the help of news the media, public opinion about a female's role in society was forever changed and the idea of a working woman slowly became acceptable in the years to come. Rosie the Riveter became a national heroine to the public.