Naomi Parker Fraley

Rosie the Riveter is one of the most iconic images in pop culture history. During World War II, women played a crucial role in manufacturing essential wartime materials such as gas masks, weapons, and aircraft. Before the war, women primarily worked in traditionally female fields like nursing and teaching. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, their contributions became even more vital. Many women enlisted in the armed forces at remarkable rates. By 1943, over 310,000 women were employed in the U.S. aircraft industry, making up 65% of the industry's total workforce. In contrast, before the war began, women represented just 1% of that workforce.

 History has a tendency to repeat itself. Recent federal data indicates that while men are reentering the job market at significant rates, women are not keeping pace. From February 2020 to January 2022, male workers recovered all the jobs they had lost during the public health crisis, according to an analysis by the National Women's Law Center of the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. However, 1.1 million women exited the labor force during that timeframe, accounting for 63% of all jobs lost.

 The COVID-19 pandemic prompted millions of women to leave the job market to care for their children, as schools and daycare facilities closed to mitigate the spread of the virus. This trend, however, is not new. Research by the management consulting firm McKinsey and Company shows that women have historically left the workforce at higher rates than men, even before the pandemic. Emily Martin, vice president for education and workplace justice at the National Women's Law Center, stated, "Part of the reason for this is that women still bear the majority of caregiver responsibilities. Women are more likely to step in and fill that gap."

 As education continues to evolve in this country like never before, it is once again the mothers who have united to keep education moving forward. Refusing to settle for the bare minimum provided by public education, parents nationwide—both mothers and fathers—have ingeniously reinvented, reimagined, and revived education for children in America.

 Naomi Parker Fraley, known as Rosie the Riveter, serves as a reminder of what we are capable of achieving. Together, we can build something better.