How are societal norms changed economic need

All of the women featured in Hidden Figures serve as examples of the power of hard work. This theme is explored in their professional achievements as well as their personal lives, where their reliability and engagement boosts their community. On page 48, Shetterly writes that the West Computers had "internalized the Negro theorem of needing to be twice as good to get half as far. They wore their professional clothes like armor. They wielded their work like weapons, warding off the presumption of inferiority because they were Negro or female. They corrected each other’s work and policed their ranks like soldiers." Katherine Johnson looks back on her achievements as simply doing her job, and language like "armor," "weapons," and "soldiers" emphasizes just how rigorous that job was for the West Computers.