The OP is either greatly over-simplifying or has missed many of the key points in the movie.
Josie had a bad reputation. Having a baby at 16 in a small town without disclosing the identity of the father will do that to a girl.
Despite her reputation, Josie had friends and a chance to rebuild her life. The only people holding her past against her were her parents, pretty understandable if you think of it from their point of view. Your 16 year old daughter got pregnant, had a baby, and refused to tell you who the father was. That is an awful lot for even the most loving parent to swallow. IF she can't trust you with such an important fact, then how are you supposed to trust her?
Oh, and of course, her son who rightfully held his entire miserable existence against her.
Anyway, Josie had a chance to reclaim a place in the community, and then she took the job at the mine. Many of the men in town, including her own father, don't believe women should be working there. They believe the women there are taking jobs meant for men. This not only riles the men against her, but their wives, who, of course, will not hesitate to bring her past up as a means to demean her.
And then you have the lawsuit. Many of the people in town, even those otherwise sympathetic to her, rely on the mine and are afraid she is going to endanger their livelihood.
So, no, people weren't against her, or making her life miserable because she had a baby at 16, regardless of how. They were making her life miserable because she was attacking their livelihood.
The women working at the mine and many of the men knew she was in the right, but they were afraid to stand up for themselves, especially after seeing what Josie was being put through. Some women even took their decision to languish on in silence as a sign of nobility and bravery.
The movie used the fictional rape as the breaking point. The rape symbolized the victimization of ALL the women in town. The women said enough is enough and stood with Josie to stop the cycle of discrimination and repression.
Hollywood ending? Yes. But sometimes a single event CAN energize people who have otherwise remained passive. Especially when that event happens to a child. See Newtown CT, for example.
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