John Cilio will speak on the role of women in the workplace during World War II on Sunday, May 5, at 3 p.m. at Oxford’s Twitchell-Rowland Homestead Museum.
Admission is free for Oxford Historical Society members and children under 12 years of age and $3 for the general public. Refreshments will be served.
Author of the book ​“Women’s Work in World War II”, Cilio will tell anecdotes from the period and discuss a selection of vintage photographs that highlight a desperate time in America when women stepped into the void in manufacturing left by the millions of the men who were drafted to fight.
Starting with a mission to help their country and their friends and relatives, women ended up proving their competence in thousands of roles previously performed only by men.
When World War II ended and the men returned to work, the role of women in the home and workplace had changed. Cilio’s talk will finish with a description of how American women went on to fight for full equality, working with Congress, the President, unions and the courts to establish equal pay for equal work and to breakdown gender discrimination in the workplace.
Following the talk, the author will be available to autograph copies of his book.
This program compliments the Twitchell-Rowland Homestead Museum’s ongoing display of vintage images and photographs of Oxford Women Through History.
Highlighting the exhibit will be never-before shown pictures and information about Adeline Gray, an Oxford native who was instrumental in testing nylon parachutes for use by World War II soldiers and airmen.
The Twitchell-Rowland Museum is located off Route 67 at 60 Towner Lane in Oxford.
For further information call Nancy Farnum at 203 888‑0230 or at the Historical Society website: http://www.oxford-historial-society.org.