As most may know, Rosie the Riveter is a symbolic icon in US history. Naomi Parker Fraley inspired the Rosie the Riveter campaign which aimed at recruiting female workers for defense industries during World War II. Fraley is also the great-grandmother of Eureka student and athlete, Jeremiah Dellay.
Due to Rosie the Riveters propaganda campaign, women in the workforce increased by 310,000, which is 65% of the industry’s total workforce during WWII. This campaign poster remains popular today in movies, restaurants, stores, and books.
“The call for women to join the workforce during World War II was meant to be temporary and women were expected to leave their jobs after the war ended and men came home,” History Today said. “The women who did stay in the workforce continued to be paid less than their male peers and were usually demoted. But after their selfless efforts during World War II, men could no longer claim superiority over women. Women had enjoyed and even thrived on a taste of financial and personal freedom—and many wanted more. The impact of World War II on women changed the workplace forever, and women’s roles continued to expand in the postwar era,” all thanks to Rosie the Riveter.
Jeremiah Dellay, her great-grandson, explains the history behind her impact and why we should still remember her today.
“After she came from a factory, someone came up to her and that’s when she had the photo taken of her, which later led to an entire historical reset for women in the work industry,” Dellay said. Fraley was very humble and private about her impact. Her close family and a couple of friends knew she was the inspiration, but most of the public wouldn’t have known if she hadn’t come out and told people.
“No one knew it was her for a very long time,” Dellay said. “She saw her photo in a banquet hall about 10 years ago, right before she passed, and told people it was her.”
Mrs. Merrell agrees on the significant impact Rosie the Riveter made on the world. She believes Rosie the Riveter is a historical icon that
not only worth remembering but also is one of the reasons women are able to show their power and importance.
“She is a wonderful symbol of female power. She is the perfect example for the ‘can-do’ mentality for women. She shows that women aren’t weaklings and certainly capable of doing more than sitting at home all the time,” Mrs. Merrell said.
Fraley’s impact on society has impacted not just women across America, but also her family. Not only did she increase the number of female workers and give them more freedom and power, but she was a wonderful grandmother and great-grandmother who impacted her own loved ones as well.
