women, working, great depressionThe Library Of Congress via Flickr

There's been a lot of debate recently over women in the workplace, and whether women are in a "stalled revolution" or not.

But what's unarguable is that we've come a long way.

In her book "The End of Men and the Rise of Women," Hanna Rosin says that women "have pulled decisively ahead by almost every measure" when compared to men. 

During World War I and II, women proved that they're capable of working jobs typically employed by men to keep the economy running. Between 1984 and 2009, the number of working women in America increased from 44 million to 72 million. Throughout, women haven't stopped fighting for equality. 

The following are some iconic images, mostly from the Library of Congress, to show the incredible labor story of women's rise in the workplace.