Working Women

– Activity Prompt: Women in the early twentieth century were sometimes depicted as weaker than men and therefore in need of special protections. At the same time, the growing system of capitalism placed pressure on women to join the workforce, where they faced sometimes brutal conditions. Using details from both images below, and quoting from the Supreme Court decision Muller v. Oregon, write an essay that answers the question: How were working women treated differently from working men?
– The essay must include 1 or 2 paragraph with at least 275 words. You must use the three primary sources included in word file, as well as the contextual information that you have learned about attitudes toward the labor of women in the early twentieth century, to support your argument.
-Consider how these sources relate to and provide insight into working women in the early twentieth century. Were working women treated differently from men? How? Why?

ANSWER

Working Women

Working women in the 20^th century were treated as second-class citizens. As the industrial revolution continued to gain ground, so was the need for more workers to join the workforce (Dinner, 2019). Women, who were primarily regarded as lazy and only answered to men, were now forced to work in these factories. However, the working conditions were dismal, and the pay was little compared to what men were making. Women were even forced to work extra hours as the men went home earlier, and among these women were mothers who were expected to raise families and cater for their husbands. A definite case of overworking was the Muller v. Oregon, 1908 case. The supervisor, Curt Muller, ordered an employee, Mrs. E. Gotcher, to work extra hours doing laundry (Dinner, 2019). However, this was against Oregon’s law prohibiting women from working more than ten hours. Even though Muller was fined for the event, it showed the attributes of society willing to break the law and exploit women in the workforce.

The poor working conditions were not a walk in the park either. Women who worked in factories were not only overworked and underpaid but also working in bad conditions that often times deteriorated their health (Isaacs, 2020). In fact, women were not allowed to take many sick days, as they were regarded as being weak, and their working spot was given to other people. The issue of poor working conditions was witnessed in The Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory. The poor facilities and locked doors (locked to prevent the women from sneaking out and taking a break) prevented the women from escaping the fire incident. (Isaacs, 2020) As a result, 146 women succumbed to the fire. Before the fire, the company was renowned for hiring underage girls, mostly foreigners who could not speak English, to work 12 hours a day, with minimal to no shift.

References

Dinner, D. (2019). A Troubled Relationship: Sex Equality and the Limits of Law. Journal of Women’s History, 31(4), 134-138.

Isaacs, A. (2020). The Flame that Sparked Outrage: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.