WWII helped to bring about a huge cultural change in the United States. It was not common for a woman to work outside of the home. But, with so many men shipped off to war... women very successfully stepped in to fill the workforce. One of the advertising campaigns from the period that helps to illustrate all this was a series of ads from Sierra Pine soap. Their basic concept was that women worked their "manly" jobs during the day... came home, cleaned up... and were back to their feminine selfs. 
Some of these ads might seem offensive in todays culture. Such as the one on your left that states "With Masculine Skill she handles her man-sized job of filling gas tanks, changing oil and tires." Not to mention... the caption of "For every woman with a man-size job". But, in that time period, this was the first chance women had received to actually be allowed (much less encouraged) to take some of these jobs.
This ad to your right states that "It's a man-sized job to add a victory garden to your daily round of homemaking" is also interesting. It shows that their was a lot of American pride during that time... where people would grow their own gardens, so they could help free up food to be sent to soldiers at the front. But, it also shows that a big burden was placed on women during the war. Not only were they expected to enter the workforce, grow their own food... they also still needed to do keep up with the housework. I can only imagine some of the pressure they must have felt. 

It must have been a bitter-sweet period of time for women who were saddled with great opportunity and great responsibility at the same time. It makes me wonder what my own ancestors went through during that era. 

To see these ads and more similar-themed ones, check out more of our Sierra Pine Soap Ads.

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