women in warehousing

By: Chantaye L. Mclaughlin

Happy Women’s History Month. Many have all seen the picture above. Oftentimes, it is associated with the Feminist Movement. Women’s History Month was designed to spotlight and highlight the women who have paved the way in local and global spaces. Women in Warehousing is one of the conversations that have led to the Liberation and Independence of women. Many argue if this was a good thing or a bad thing in the world of good and bad. The reality is that women in warehousing came as a necessity after World War II. When the war began, many men were the primary caretakers of their households. The impact of women being engaged in the work environment of a warehouse was primarily due to supply and demand. During wartime, there was a shortage of supplies and manufacturing positions began to open. The challenge was that majority of the men were off at war, leaving the women to become the bread winners and sometimes sole providers for their families. This boom in manufacturing led many women to be able to participate in what had been deemed for years as “men jobs.” The war was considered to be the only acceptable time in which women were to work in the manufacturing industry or warehousing. After the war, many middle and working class families leaned to wanting a two person income to be able to live the life of their dreams. This is what led to many of the Tupperware parties that we have seen in the movies and that many of us remember seeing the old pictures in the photo albums of family members to often include mothers and grandmothers. Happy Women’s History Month to the women that were told that they can’t, they shouldn’t, and they won’t. You are saluted for the strength, courage, and critical role that you have played in history!