Eve in Overalls
This restored publication presents the enormous work contribution women made on the Home Front
IWM sheds new light on women’s service on the home front
“THE PAMPHLET HIGHLIGHTS WOMEN’S CONTRIBUTION TO THE SECOND WORLD WAR. IT ALSO SHOWS THAT WOMEN WERE CAPABLE AND COMPETENT OF UNDERTAKING JOBS PREVIOUSLY DONE BY MEN”
During World War II women once again stepped into many of the vacant roles left by the men fighting on the frontline, entering factories, farms and other workplaces to contribute to the war effort. Alan Jeffreys, Imperial War Museums’ Senior Curator for the Second World War and Mid-20th Century, explains more about Eve in Overalls, a propaganda pamphlet originally produced in 1942 and now published by IWM and purchasable via iwmshop.org.uk.
WHY WAS EVE IN OVERALLS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 1942?
Eve in Overalls was published in 1942 under the auspices of the Ministry of Information. One of its key objectives was to inform the public about the war effort. The pamphlet highlights women’s contributions to the Second World War. It also shows that women were competent and capable of undertaking jobs previously done by men.
WHAT DOES THE ORIGINAL MINISTRY OF INFORMATION TEXT TELL US ABOUT ATTITUDES TOWARDS TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES AND WOMEN’S NEW ROLES ON THE HOME FRONT IN PARTICULAR?
The pamphlet reinforces some of the old stereotypes of gender with the use of the word ‘Eve’ and stating that women in the workplace were viewed with curiosity and fascination. It is a product of the period, albeit in old-fashioned terms even for the time. However, it also demonstrates the “tranquil heroism” of women “invading every sphere” of the workplace.
WOMEN ALSO TOOK ON MANY TRADITIONAL MALE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES DURING WWI. WHAT HAD CHANGED, OR NOT CHANGED, DURING THE INTER-WAR YEARS?
In the inter-war period there was initially an increasing number of women employed in clerical and secretarial positions, as well as shop assistants. However, as the economic situation worsened in the 1920s there was a return to the pre-war situation. In 1921 under 31 per cent of women were in employment as compared to 32 per cent in 1911.
IS THE CRUCIAL ROLE THAT WOMEN PLAYED STILL UNDER-APPRECIATED TO THIS DAY?
The role of women during the war has not been forgotten, with books published such as Millions Like Us: Women’s Lives during the Second World War (2012) by Virginia Nicholson emanating the wartime propagandist film of the same name, Millions Like Us (1943) about women working in an aircraft factory. Similarly, the recent film Their Finest (2017) tells the story of the fictional character Catrin Cole writing a film script for a Ministry of Information film about the evacuation of Dunkirk during the London Blitz. Perhaps what is forgotten is the scale of women involved in the war effort, which numbered over 10 million.