Final answer:
WW2 shaped working-class masculinity in 1940s America by challenging traditional gender roles through women's increasing participation in the workforce and their influence in politics.
Step-by-step explanation:
WW2 shaped working-class masculinity/men in 1940s America by B challenging traditional gender roles. While approximately 2 million women entered jobs traditionally held by men, wartime propaganda minimized the challenge this trend represented to traditional gender roles. Women's work in defense factories was portrayed as falling within the larger role of women as guardians of the home and family.
The war temporarily redefined the domestic sphere to include the home front as well as the household. This reinforced the traditional expectation that men were still in charge and the defenders of the nation, despite women entering factories to support men's work. However, there were contradictions and internal challenges to these traditional gender roles during the war, as more women demonstrated their ability to compete in the workforce and influence politics, challenging prevailing notions of masculinity.