“…underneath the formality and politeness a half-concealed resentment still persisted, not against women as women, but against them as rivals of men in a man’s world.”
Though during the wartime in the 1940’s immigrant women made large stride in social and economic independence, there were muted signs of sexism and sexual discrimination still visible in the workplace. I found it fascinating that the industries that needed women workers during the wartime slightly altered the jobs as to label them “female positions.” Companies established women-only departments and sex-typed jobs meant directly for women. I saw this as an institutional response to women gaining access to the workforce, trying to sustain the image of women as unequal to men. The individual response to women entering the public sphere can be seen through the sexist actions of male workers. Sexual harassment was used as a tool by men to personally reestablish their dominance over females.
Thoughts on Histories 