Media Resource

BackStory: Women at Work

Bowen, a riveter, and Olsen, her supervisor, in the Assembly and Repair Dept. at the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas (August, 1942).
Photo caption

Bowen, a riveter, and Olsen, her supervisor, in the Assembly and Repair Dept. at the Naval Air Base in Corpus Christi, Texas (August, 1942).

Wikimedia Commons

This episode of NEH-funded BackStory—"Women at Work: A History"—includes several segments. Explore the lives of nineteenth century domestic workers, myths related to "Rosie the Riveter" during WWII, and changes and challenges in the twenty-first century. Each segment below includes analysis questions and prompts to draw connections to contemporary and historical issues. 

A full transcript of this episode can be found at the BackStory website.

Rosie-Colored Glasses

Rosie-Colored Glasses features an interview with Betty Soskin about her experiences working during WWII and why the stories about what it meant to be a "Rosie" during wartime production are not entirely accurate.

Comprehension Questions

  • Why does Betty Soskin refuse to be called a "Rosie"?
  • Who was hired to work on the homefront during WWII?
  • What does Betty mean when she says "...what gets remembered is determined by who's in the room doing the remembering"?
  • What changed for women of color as a result of WWII?
Inside and Out

Inside and Out addresses the ways in which women worked outside the home long before they entered the munition factories of WWII. Learn about the myths surrounding the "Rosie the Riveter" narrative that emerged during the war and that continues to color how we think about women in the workplace during that time. 

Comprehension Questions

  • What was work "inside" the home like at various points in history?
  • How did women come to work outside of the home?
  • What are some of the myths that have been constructed regarding women in the workplace across U.S. history?
Under the Law

Under the Law moves to the experiences of white women in the workplace and the limited legal protections that existed for them during the nineteenth century. 

Comprehension Questions

  • What is sexual harassment?
  • What were the causes and outcomes of the Dane v. Wyckoff case of 1858?
  • To what extent are the issues raised in this segment relevant to issues in the workplace today?
Protect and Exclude

Protect and Exclude looks at protective legislation, laws setting things like minimum wages and maximum working hours specifically for women, during the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Comprehension Questions

  • Why were protective legislation protections deemed necessary?
  • What did the courts think about the movement to establish protective legislation for women?
  • How are labor rights and civil rights connected?
  • How do the issues raised at the start of the twentieth century compare to rights and protections for women in the workplace today?
R-E-S-P-E-C-T

R-E-S-P-E-C-T examines the changes that occurred for families and gender roles when women moved out of the home to find work.  

Comprehension Questions

  • How did the movement of women to work outside of the home impact families and social norms?
  • To what extent did changes in employment for women impact the power and authority of men?
  • How do issues raised about the changing nature of the family then compare to now?

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