Factory Women

Factory Women

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, women have made great strides towards equality. The 19th century saw the emergence of women entering the work force, gaining economic freedom, starting and participating in movements and most importantly, challenging the traditional and excepted role of women. Along the path for women's social and economic freedom, there were many detours and barriers, as well as exceptional opportunities for their advancement.

The first major step for women was the emergence into the work force and thus challenging the accepted female gender role in society. They left their families, homes and friends to venture into the working world, leaving behind a safe-haven. Women entering the work force had its advantages and disadvantages. One problem that arose was the matter of the family. If a mother left her children to go work to help support the family, she was looked down upon by society as a bad mother. The father was also, more than likely, looked down upon as well for not being able to sufficiently provide for his family. This is probably why many mothers were hesitant to enter the workforce for fear of social humiliation. But many women saw this as the only way to properly provide for her children. If the husband was a heavy drinker or gambler, there were little alternative opportunities for the mother to provide for her family.

Many women found jobs in locally on farms or in mills, or they ventured to large cities for factory and millwork. Many of theses women were unmarried and they gained independence from their families by going to work. The women worked long, hard hours six to seven days a week and had little time for leisure outside of their home. By working, they...

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...ms of society further than they ever had before and gained many skills necessary for the success of both the Abolition Movement and the Women's Right Movement. They gained access to vital resources and skills needed to obtain their goals. Many can argue that the factory or millwork, or virtually any poor working condition and early movement loses were detrimental to women. But it must be understood that for women to be out of the home was in itself a huge step for women. Yes, they had poor working conditions, low pay and bad jobs, but women had to start somewhere. One cannot start at the top. For the short amount of time that women have been in the workforce, huge strides have been made for the betterment of womankind. Their early loses and setbacks taught them valuable lessons that provided the necessary skills for the future achievement and advancement of women.