According to history.com, by 1945 one out of every four married women worked outside the home. During that period in history, a second World War waged, resulting in a draft that would leave large holes in the United States’ workforce.
Then came the government campaign known as Rosie the Riveter, which was aimed at recruiting female workers for the munitions industry, the website states.
Presently, the non-profit American Rosie the Riveter Association is attempting to locate that generation of women in order to preserve their stories.
“These women are in their 80s and 90s now,” Membership Vice-President Mabel Myrick said. “We want to make a record of their stories for our archives.”
According to a release, the American Rosie the Riveter Association’s purpose is to recognize and preserve the history and legacy of working women during WWII. In 1998, Dr. Frances Carter of Birmingham, Alabama founded the organization, which now has more than 5,000 members worldwide.
Myrick worked as a secretary for the U.S. Department of War at the Pentagon in Washington D.C in 1944.
The American Rosie the Riveter Association is looking for women who kept America’s industry going.
According to the release, these women worked as riveters, welders, electricians and plant inspectors. Some women sewed clothing and parachutes for the military and rolled bandages.
“Some of these women may not have even told their children about the work they performed during the war,” Myrick said. “It’s important that their stories be preserved.”
Women or their descendants who worked during WWII, are asked to contact association members by phone at 1-888-557-6743, by email at americanrosietheriveter2@yahoo.com and by mail at American Rosie the Riveter, P.O. Box 188, Kimberly, AL., 35091.