Final answer:
Women working on the home front during World War II encountered obstacles such as societal beliefs that their outside employment should be temporary, wartime propaganda minimizing their contributions, and discrimination leading to lower wages and job exclusion, particularly for African American women.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the World War II era, women were recruited for jobs that were critical to the home front war effort. They were confronted with significant obstacles, however. One of the primary obstacles was entrenched societal beliefs that women's employment outside the home was unnatural and should be temporary. Propaganda portrayed their labor in defense factories as an extension of their domestic role, suggesting that their work supported the more vital tasks done by men. In addition, discrimination remained an issue; African American women faced exclusion from many factory jobs and when women took on roles traditionally held by men, they were often paid lower wages and faced resistance from labor unions. This pushback exemplifies the persistent gender-based barriers that women had to navigate during this time despite their significant contributions to the war effort.