Fleeting Opportunities: Women Shipyard Workers in Portland and Vancouver During World War II and Reconversion

by Amy Kesselman

Overview

This book tells the story of the daily lives of women industrial workers in World War II shipyards. It focuses on their struggle against the persistence of occupational segregation, the sexual and racial hierarchy of the shipyard work force, and the pervasive emphasis on female sexuality which served as a constant reminder that women were transient and marginal imposters.

In addition, Fleeting Opportunities demonstrates that despite the myth that these women yearned to return to their kitchens, in fact many wanted to continue using their wartime skills in the postwar period. However, finding themselves excluded from jobs by union and management, those who continued to work ended up in low-paying, predominantly female occupations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781438408859
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	02/24/2016
Series:	SUNY series in American Labor History
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	204
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Amy Kesselman is Assistant Professor of Women's Studies at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Editorial Reviews

A systematic review of the fleas of the region, the first comprehensive study since 1947. Distribution maps and 250 lucid line- drawings and range maps are conveniently placed in proximity to the species in question for ease of reference. The introduction provides a life history and morphology of the flea. The extensive bibliography is followed by appendices including a host/flea index. Examines the struggle of women workers against the occupational segregation, the sexual and racial hierarchy, and the constant emphasis on female sexuality in the wartime shipyards of the Northwest. Also traces their exclusion from the job market when the war ended. Draws heavily on interviews with the women. Paper edition (unseen), $14.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"The real strength of this book is the careful reconstruction of the daily lives of the wartime women both on the job and in the community. The author takes us into that inner world of events and experiences, by way of the oral testimony of the workers themselves." — Pete Hoefer, AFL-CIO

"There can be little question of the continuing significance of the topic. The author joins an important and ongoing debate in a very forceful way." — Charles Stephenson

From the Publisher