Sexual Harassment During WWII

My collage is about sexual harassment in the workforce during World War II. During the war, millions of women began to fill job positions formerly occupied by men. The jobs included helping arm the troops with munition, warships, aircrafts and more. While this period kickstarted a feminist movement toward female empowerment, many women were faced with poor working conditions. Often, women were paid less than their male counterparts and were looked down upon and discriminated against. During this transformative time, women often faced harassment in the workplace and eventually coined the phrase "sexual harassment" in 1975 due to their experiences. Sexual violence continues to be prevalent today, with 7 million women in the U.S. reporting assault, verbal harassment or unwanted sexual conduct in the workplace, according to a study by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. While #MeToo has brought attention to misconduct that continues to take place, sexual violence against women began long before the movement.

I decided to demonstrate my topic of focus with pictures I gathered from the time period for my collage. The pictures are largely retrieved from History.com, depicting women working during World War II. I also gathered articles and journals about what it was like for female workers and shared pictures of the text that referred to the discrimination and harassment that many faced.