When Americans officially entered World War II in 1941, changes occurred for many people. The bill was passed, forcing the men to do their duty and fight for their country. Women were asked to maintain the home front in many ways, from rationing to volunteering, saving bacon grease, and making the most of the produce they currently had. Women were also strongly pressured to take jobs in war production outside the home. Before the Depression, just a few years before the war, it was not uncommon for a woman to work for pay, but as the Depression took hold, married women were at risk of losing their jobs. Many women were fired or asked to resign to make way for a man who had lost his job. Many citizens felt it was unfair that a family had two earners while some families had none. (Kessler-Harris) Previously, the average female workforce was young and single. However, when war broke out, couples married younger, putting the typical worker in short supply. This has led to a rapid increase in the number of older married women going to work outside the home. "During the Depression, 80 percent of Americans opposed allowing women to work outside the home; in 1942, only 13 percent still opposed it." (May) By the end of the war, 25 percent of married women were employed. (May) Although women worked outside the home before World War II, their entry into the war production workforce led to a shift in typical gender roles and was an exciting time but difficult for many women who were gaining independence. classes of women were targeted by war propaganda, mobilizing them to “do their part.” Usually, single women from the lower and middle classes were recruited from the middle of the newspaper, rejecting these ideas when the war ended and the men returned home. Their focus then shifted to assuring male audiences that women were still women and downplayed the independence they had gained. Nonetheless, these women paved the way for those who followed them to enter the workforce, demonstrating that although their work was temporary during times of crisis, they exceeded the expectations a nation had set for them. Works Cited Adkins-Covert, Tawnya J. Image Manipulation. Lanham, MD: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc., 2011. book. Kessler-Harris, Alice. Women have always worked: a historical overview. New York: The Feminist Press, 1981. book. May, Elaine Tyler. Back home. New York: Basic Books, 2008. book. US Department of Commerce. “Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being.” March 2011. Whitehouse.gov. document. November 2013.