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In 1945, at the end of the war, the French department of Moselle was experiencing grave difficulties. Its economy was faltering and a number of social reforms that were favourable to employees had to be implemented. Historical records illustrate the ambiguity of this period, in particular with regard to women’s employment. This article thus seeks to understand the social construct of women’s work in this local context. The governmental and press archives consulted to this end reveal the preservation of gender borders through employment, where traditional social roles were maintained. These also explicitly reveal disparities with regard to situations and treatments, which remained unfavourable to women.