Poster stamp promoting equal rights for women

Poster stamp promoting equal rights for men and women. Poster stamps were collectable stamps, slightly larger than postage stamps, with designs similar to posters. Although they were not valid for postage, poster stamps could be affixed to letters and envelopes as a means for fundraising, propaganda, and educational purposes. The stamp depicts the Statue of Liberty in a patriotic red-white-and-blue color scheme, and calls for gender equality. When America entered World War II, wartime necessities increased the need for workers, while millions of men went overseas, reducing the male workforce. This shift opened the door for women to work in more types of jobs than ever before, many of which were previously held exclusively by men. Between five and six million women joined the civilian workforce, and another 350,000 women served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the World War II. Many women faced resentment or sexual harassment from their male coworkers, and they received roughly half the pay as their male counterparts. Women with children struggled with childcare, as well supporting a household on their own. When the war ended, women were expected to leave their jobs and return home, and some did, equipped with new skills and more confidence. Women who remained were often demoted to “pink collar” jobs more suitable for their gender, or were forced out of the workplace entirely. For both the women who continued to work and those that did not, their wartime experience empowered them to seek new opportunities and fight for equal pay and rights in the future.