Women have not always had a place in the workforce. In order to appreciate how far our society has come with representing women, it’s important to examine where we came from.
19th Century
In the first half the century, women mostly worked inside of their home. This included things like cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. However, none of these activities allowed for women to make an income for themselves. Marriage was an entirely different concept in the 19th century, and it was expected that the husband support his family financially, not the wife.
It was not until the middle of the century when women were beginning to find jobs outside of the home. Women held jobs such as laundresses, bath-house operators, mid-wives, and nurses. Some women also worked to take care of others’ homes, as hotel operators, and seamstresses.
20th Century
This type of work continued for women into the 20th century. Even though women were beginning to earn a place in some areas of work, their wages were seen as secondary to that of men. Their money was often seen as less important than their husband’s, but it was crucial to maintaining the family and household. “According to the 1911 census, domestic service was the largest employer of women and girls, with 28% of all employed women in England and Wales engaged in domestic service. Many women were were employed in small industries like shirt making, nail making, chain making, and shoe stitching” (Striking Women). These jobs were often known as ‘sweating industries’ because women were often forced to work very long hours with extremely low pay.
Between 1950-1960, the United States saw a rapid increase in population; the United States also saw an increase in labor force. By 1980, the labor force participation rate of women was growing largely and reached a high of 52%. Toossi states in the Monthly Labor Review from 2002 that, “women in the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups increased by 20.5 percentage points and 14.4 percentage points, respectively. No other labor force group has ever experienced an increase in participation rates of this magnitude in one decade” (Toossi).
21st Century
There is no doubt that women have climbed the ladder towards the top of the workforce by 2023. A large 75% of women ages 25-54 are working today, and this compares to only 67% a decade ago. Additionally, women are working longer hours as 84% of working women are in full-time positions. Not only are more women working for longer hours, but their job titles are equal to that of men.
Although this century has not been “smooth-sailing” for working women, the improvements since the 19th century are drastic, and I imagine that they will only improve over the next century.
Thank you.
Citations:
Almeida, Beth, and Isabela Salas-Betsch. “Fact Sheet: The State of Women in the Labor Market in 2023.” Center for American Progress, 2 June 2023, www.americanprogress.org/article/fact-sheet-the-state-of-women-in-the-labor-market-in-2023/.
“Striking Women.” 19th and Early 20th Century | Striking Women, www.striking-women.org/module/women-and-work/19th-and-early-20th-century. Accessed 8 Feb. 2024.
Terroil, Rubye Du. “The Role of Women in Nineteenth Century San Antonio – Journal of San Antonio.” The Role of Women in the 19th Century, www.uiw.edu/sanantonio/TheRoleofWomen.html#:~:text=In%20the%20first%20half%20of,%2Dwives%2C%20nurses%2C%20governesses. Accessed 8 Feb. 2024.
Toossi, Mitra. A Century of Change: The U.S. Labor Force, 1950-2050, 2002, www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2002/05/art2full.pdf.
I really liked the way this blog post was organized, especially with the separation by dates. I can see the improvement that has been done throughout the centuries around women’s workforce. Hopefully throughout the following years there is even more improvement in this field.