The historical source displayed above is a propaganda poster created in 1918 during World War I by the artist Ernest Hamlin Baker. The poster shows a parade of women dressed in masculine uniforms, holding traditional men’s tools such as an axe, with the title, “For every fighter a woman worker Y.W.CA.: Back our second line of defense.” [1] This propaganda poster marks a pivotal moment in American history when women’s roles began to change. As millions of men joined the armed forces, many jobs opened for women that men traditionally held. [2] Government and organizations such as the YWCA have advocated for this shift. They used posters like the one above to encourage women to join the workforce and contribute to the war effort. This specific poster was not only to recruit women into the workforce but also to recruit women to the Young Women’s Christian Organization. Additionally, the YWCA created this poster to advocate for women’s independence and their growing role in society. The organization challenged the traditional gender roles by showcasing women as strong and capable contributors to the war effort. Additionally, they aimed to support women in the workforce by offering training, housing, and advocacy programs. Beyond encouraging women to work, the YWCA’s goal was to promote gender equality in the workforce and advocate for equal opportunities.

During the time of World War I, American society was beginning to rethink gender roles due to the demands of World War I. At first, women took part in the war effort through traditional activities such as fundraising, volunteering for the Red Cross, and nursing. [3] However, as the war progressed, labor demands grew. Labor demands resulted in women working traditional men’s jobs, such as streetcar conductors and postal carriers. [4] This shift reflected the more extensive movements for women’s rights and labor rights as women’s workforce roles expanded. A speaker at a 1917 Women’s Trade Union League meeting highlighted this shift in women’s roles in labor. She stated, “Women are coming into the labor [force] and festival of life on equal terms with men.” (Shi, 2022) [5]. This reveals how the demands of World War I gave women the opportunity to enter the workforce equally to men. Posters such as the YWCA poster above reflect this shift in traditional gender roles caused by World War I, as women are dressed in masculine attire, revealing their new roles in society during World War I of taking on traditional men’s jobs. This shift also connected to the suffrage movement, where women fought for equal rights, including voting rights. Questions about where women stand in society, war, and peacetime began to arise. [6] This poster holds the motto of men and women making equal contributions and reflects the growing role of women in the workplace and beyond. [7]

The artist Ernest Hamlin Baker, who created the YWCA propaganda poster, used striking visual elements and symbolic language to convey the powerful message of women’s role in the World War I effort and encourage others to participate. The poster’s phrase, “For every fighter a woman worker,” equates the role of a female worker with that of a male fighter. [8] These unique word choices imply how women filled jobs on the home front while men were fighting on the battlefield. The central focus of the YWCA poster is a parade of women marching in sync while wearing masculine uniforms, standing tall with serious expressions on their faces. This stylistic choice symbolizes women taking on traditionally male roles in society, causing the viewers to see how women are equally capable of taking on roles held by men. The poster uses a dominant use of orange and blue as contrast. The YWCA logo is in a blue triangle, highlighting the organization’s name. The poster’s background uses the orange, providing the idea that women are marching down a path together in unity. The phrase, “Back our second line of defense,” is crucial as it implies that women stepping up to work are the “second line” standing behind the soldiers, a vital part of America’s defense. This suggests that if women had not contributed to war efforts by working traditional men’s jobs, the soldiers’ efforts could have been at risk, as manufacturing weapons, tools, and supplies could have been hindered. The YWCA propaganda poster helped to broaden society’s understanding of women’s capabilities and shaped new societal expectations of women’s role in society, specifically during wartime.

References:

[1] Dumenil, Lynn. “Visual Representations of Women in Popular Culture.” In The Second Line of Defense: American Women and World War I, 204–54. University of North Carolina Press, 2017. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5149/9781469631226_dumenil.10.

[2] Shi, David E. America: A Narrative History (Brief Twelfth Edition) (Vol. Volume 2). 12th ed. W.W. Norton and Company, 2022. 898

[3] Ibid

[4] Dumenil, Lynn. “American Women and the Great War.” OAH Magazine of History 17, no. 1 (2002): 35–39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25163562.

[5] Shi, David E. America: A Narrative History (Brief Twelfth Edition) (Vol. Volume 2). 12th ed. W.W. Norton and Company, 2022. 898

[6] James, Pearl. “Images of Femininity in American World War I Posters.” In Picture This: World War I Posters and Visual Culture, edited by PEARL JAMES, 273–311. University of Nebraska Press, 2009. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1dgn3t0.14.

[7] Ibid

[8] Ibid