Winner of the Joan Kelly Memorial Prize in Women's History, the American Historical Association, 1987. Winner of the SOCIALIST REVIEW Book Award

Women's entry into so-called men's work during World War II sparked conflicts at the time and when men returned at war's end. Ruth Milkman delves into the issues in play and the prewar origins of traditional patterns of gender segregation in the workplace. Ranging from the dynamics on the shop floor to hiring patterns, Milkman pays particular attention to automobile and electrical manufacturing. She analyzes a number of persistent questions, including management's decision to re-embrace gender segregation after the war; women's lack of protest; the failure of unions to protect women; and how related employer strategies helped control labor by maintaining women's place as workers paid less than men.

Ruth Milkman is Distinguished Professor of Sociology at The CUNY Graduate Center. Her books include On Gender, Labor, and Inequality and L.A. Story: Immigrant Workers and the Future of the U.S. Labor Movement.

Preface   xiii
1 Introduction   1
2 Fordism and Feminization   12
3 The Great Depression and the Triumph of Unionization   27
4 Redefining "Women's Work"   49
5 Wartime Labor Struggles over the Position of Women in Industry   65
6 The Emergence of a Women's Movement in the Wartime CIO   84
7 Demobilization and the Reconstruction of "Woman's Place" in Industry   99
8 Resistance to Management's Postwar Policies   128
9 Epilogue and Conclusion   153
Notes   161
Index   207