Women were employed during the war due to labor shortages, but most were fired from these jobs after the return of peace. Despite the significant impact of inspiring women's self-confidence in the workplace, since patriarchs held (nearly?) all the decision-making roles in all industries, these gains did not materially last.

There was also an economic recession 1945-46 as the United States transitioned from total war mobilization to a mixed economy.

I'm of the opinion that it actually retarded advancement for women (and minorities, but that's another topic).

Yes, the image of "Rosie the Riveter" was pushed, but at the exact same time it was with the themes that women were "sacrificing" their regular lives for the war effort and that their greatest desire was for the war to be over so their men could come home and they could return to being homemakers again.

And when the war ended, that's pretty much what happened (no matter what women's real feelings on the matter were). In just a few years their image went from Rosie to Donna Reed, the perfect homemaker (always in pearls, even in the kitchen). Now that the war was done, women could return to their "proper" roles.