Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road

Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road is a three-part documentary series which explores how women overcame gender discrimination and segregation to build fulfilling lives for themselves and generations to come on America's most beloved road. Episodes One: The Origin of Women on Route 66 While early automobile makers frequently assumed that men would be behind the wheel, from the start, women embraced driving! From ambulance drivers to vacation seekers, women proved that they were up for the challenge of driving on largely unpaved roads. For them, Route 66 was not just a way of getting from point a to point b, but it created opportunities for entrepreneurship, creativity, political activism and independence. Episodes Two: World War II and the Post War Period World War II brought renewed energy and purpose to Route 66 as the country suddenly needed to transport men and women, arms and ammunition from one coast to the other. Hospitality work was viewed as a natural extension of the domestic sphere, and on Route 66 many women worked in family businesses providing food and lodging. During wartime, however, it was considered not only possible but patriotic for women to move out of low paying jobs and perform highly skilled, dangerous work like sorting ammunition. After World War II, when they were told that they should surrender their jobs and return home, some women created vibrant businesses on their own. Episode Three: The Death and Rebirth of the Mother Road In the 1950s, the creation of interstate highways began the death toll for Route 66. Environmental disaster and unemployment caused by changing models of transportation also dealt blows to many small towns. Women were at the forefront of fighting to keep their main streets alive. Women have been leading revitalization projects that keep the lights on in their communities, boost the local economy and preserve American History for generations to come.