World War II Mobilization of Women Through Magazine Advertising: Intersections of Gender, Class and the State

The present study examines the interrelationships among the state, capitalism and the structure of gender relations in the context of the mobilization of women into the war effort during the Second World War and the subsequent transition to peace. The interconnections among these social forces have a strong influence on the prevailing images of acceptable behavior for women in society. A document analysis of archived government documents and advertising industry documents indicate that the class and gender biases of government officials played an important role in how they dealt with the issue of women and work during World War II. Results from the content analysis of advertisements suggest that government and advertising officials both held and utilized existing ideologies about women's roles in society to mobilize women into the wartime economy. In addition, the study includes a content analysis of advertisements appearing in women's magazines from 1941 through 1946. These advertisements represent the product resulting from the interconnections among that state, capitalism, and the structure of gender relations. Results indicate that the advertisements, while providing an expanded representation of women in non-traditional wartime activities and occupations, continued to emphasize traditional ideas about women's roles, refitting wartime responsibilities into the context of women's traditional roles in the home. In addition, women's wartime responsibilities were differentiated on the basis of social class, channeling women from into the war effort based on socioeconomic status. Postwar representations of women in advertising returned to prewar standards, providing few depictions of employment and emphasizing women's roles as wives and mothers.