National Rosie The Riveter Day 2023: Date, History, Facts

American Rosie The Riveter Day is observed on March 21 to honor the contribution of American women to the nation’s victory in World War II. In the early 1940s, as the Great War raged, all able-bodied males were drafted to fight, and women were required to support the workforce. Rosie the Riveter represents the millions of women who abandoned their homes to work in factories to maintain the nation’s manufacturing processes. Congress honored this cultural icon on March 21 in response to decades of sustained activism.

The background of National Rosie The Riveter Day

National Rosie the Riveter Day is a fitting celebration of the legacy of American working women and their contributions during World War II. As a result of the total conflict, during which every able-bodied man was sent to fight for the Allies, the nation’s manufacturing ceased. Every male-dominated industry, from heavy machinery to steel mills and cargo terminals, experienced a personnel shortage as a result of sudden draft induction.

As a patriotic duty, the federal government issued propaganda to encourage women to enter the industrial workforce. Women were recruited using the ubiquitous poster depicting a woman in a red bandana raising her fist. Between 1940 and 1945, the total number of female industrial employees rose from 27% to 37%. For the first time ever, more than 19 million women held employment outside of the traditional women’s workforce. Rosie quickly became a cultural icon. Rosie the Riveter was immortalized in the 1944 critically acclaimed film of the same name.

The campaign was a social reckoning that permanently altered the character of women’s participation in the workforce. Riding the suffragette movement’s tidal surge, the U.S. government unwittingly contributed to the second wave of feminism in the west. The United States Congress enacted a resolution in 2017 designating March 21 as National Rosie the Riveter Day, a day during Women’s History Month. The movement had long-lasting effects on the American psyche, and the resolution recognizes the crucial role women performed during World War II.

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5 INCREDIBLE FACTS REGARDING THE ROSIE THE RIVETER CAMPAIGN

In 1943, 90% of all able-bodied women aged 18 to 40 entered the labor force.

The women received 53% less compensation than the males they replaced.

In 1944, women held one-third of all manufacturing and automobile positions, a record that has yet to be surpassed.

75% of the women indicated that they would continue to labor after the war.

As the conflict drew to a close, however, the percentage of women dropped from 36% to 28% within three years.

NATIONAL ROSIE THE RIVETER DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2023	March 21	Tuesday
2024	March 21	Thursday
2025	March 21	Friday
2026	March 21	Saturday
2027	March 21	Sunday