Author John Cilio To Speak About How Women Working in WWII Changed the Framework of How Women Could Work in the Future

Online, March 29, 2013 (Newswire.com) - The Alabama Independent Senior Living Facility is pleased to host author John Cilio for a discussion of his latest book on women working in WW2. The presentation features anecdotal stories and discusses a selection of vintage photographs that highlight a desperate time in America. The country needed all of the war materials it was capable of producing but American men were being drafted by the millions. Could its untested women fill the void?

The presentation highlights the chronological story about the zigzag social and political developments that enabled U.S. women to eventually gain equal employment with the parallel story of WW2. These women imagined success and achieved it.

The author adeptly transports the reader back to the era when men went off to war and the majority of women remained behind to care for families and fill the enormous gaps left vacant by the soldiers. They started with the mission to help their country and their friends and relatives in the war. They ended up proving their competence in thousands of roles previously performed by men only.Because of their efforts the workplace would never be the same.

Listen to their stories of how they worked and after work they volunteered endless hours to help the overall war effort and as service personnel, they ran bond drives, scrap drives, wrapped packages for Christmas, and so much more. Women trained diligently and became excellent machinists, carpenters, meteorologists, radio broadcasters, farm workers, nurses and munitions specialists. Women enlisted in every branch of service available to them and served around the globe bravely and proudly. The text and photos document the chain of circumstances that propelled the nation to realize that women can be an overtly sustaining force within our society.

"This is an amazing book that provides the stories of the women who were the unsung heroes in World War2 and who established the beginning of recognition and equality for women in the workplace. Reading the stories left me with an enormous respect and admiration for the women who never questioned whether or not they could learn the skills and accomplish the work needed. This is a book for students and working women alike, you cannot put it down and with every page you increase your knowledge about the war and enhance your respect for the women who were there." Jeanette Perlman - Adjunct Associate Professor at NYU

"This book gave a much better understanding of what a pivotal role women actually had during such a trying time in our nation." Anna Montgomery - Student at the University of Alabama

The book brings to question what the contemporary women's options would be if our nation had not experienced the conditions that unlocked so many new opportunities. These women, whether they knew or not, started the changes that include equal pay for equal work,child care in the workplace, job sharing and split shift initiatives.