This comparison of photos shows the brash distinction of roles developing in the post WWII time period. This first photo (top) was taken in Portland, Oregon during WWII (1940-1945) when the production of wartime goods was essential; essential enough to bring women out into the workplace. This photo shows a whole family, young and old, male or female, being brought into the workforce to help keep the economy and the wartime effort afloat. This hard-labor lifestyle was more a spot of necessity than actually a long-term plan for the nation’s success. This line of work is in direct contradiction to the post-war strategy of establishing the father figure as the breadwinner. Male veterans (below) had all the cards in their favor in this post-war world (1947) as they had the G.I Bill helping fund their education, positioning themselves in a favorable position to be a steady father figure (note the emphasis on children in fathers hands) with a chance to provide and lead a successful “American” family life.
Source Used
Stolley, Richard B., ed. Life Century of Change America in Pictures 1900-2000. Boston, New York, London: Bulfinch P Book, 1999. 51.
Hist272 Class Notes
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