Waged Industrial Work

The vast majority of women at this time contributed to the family economy through housework. However, the number of women working for wages was steadily increasing. By 1910, one in four women over the age of 14 was paid for her work. A single income could not support most American families. Women in low-income households had to contribute financially. Age, race, ethnicity, class, geography, economic circumstances, and family situation all had an impact on the options available. Women tended to rely on friends and family for references. Such networks were particularly important to newly arrived immigrants and migrants. While a select few might secure skilled jobs, most working women had unskilled jobs in a factory or at home.

Some women—particularly married immigrants—made money doing piece-work. Piece-work involved small, handmade work that could be done at home and dropped off at a factory. This might include sewing small garments, making paper flowers, or rolling cigars. Because a woman was paid for each completed piece, she often recruited her children to help. Women who took in piece-work were almost always still responsible for the management of the household.

Women working in factories faced long hours and dangerous working conditions. Employers required women to work quickly, often without breaks. The work was repetitive, and wages were based on the amount of work produced in a day. Each worker completed one step in the process, and men received more complex tasks. While most female factory workers were young and single, there were married and older workers. A 1911 report on the state of Southern cotton mills noted that almost 29 percent of female cotton mill workers were married. It is likely that married workers still had to manage cooking, cleaning, and children after a long day of work.

Industrial work in the home and in the factory was considered a valued position that was almost exclusively open to white and European immigrant women. Black women and non-European immigrants were excluded from most industrial work. Many of them found paid work in the domestic sector, working as maids, cooks, or laundresses.