while the men were at war, women and people of color took over the "manly" jobs. the government saw that the women were capable of doing hard work and not just being teachers/stay at home moms. the women and minorities started getting a bit of recognition. definitely not as much recognition they deserved, and they still weren't treated well, but they were still able to be nurses, pilots, etc and work in factories/the labor field.
Men left their jobs to take part in World War 2 leading to a surplus of open jobs in the United States. Minorities and women left in the United States were finally given the opportunity to take better jobs. Though they weren't treated as they should have been, the government had finally been able to see how well minorities and women could work contrary to their former beliefs. This was a definite turning point in the view of minorities and women giving them more respect and better opportunities.
