Pink-collar Worker - Background

Background

Historically, women were responsible for the running of a household. Their financial security was dependent upon the male patriarch. Widowed or divorced women struggled to support themselves and their children.

Women began to develop more opportunities when they moved into the paid workplace, formerly of the male domain. In the 20th century women aimed to be treated like the equals of their male counterparts. In 1920 American women won the right to vote, marking a turning point in their roles in life.

Many single women traveled to cities like New York where they found work in factories and sweatshops, working for low pay operating sewing machines, sorting feathers, rolling tobacco and so on.

These factories were dirty, noisy, dark and dangerous. Workers frequently breathed dangerous fumes and worked with flammable materials. Women lost fingers and hands in accidents because in order to save money they were required to clean and adjust the machines while they were running. Unfortunately, most women who worked in the factories did not earn enough money to live on and lived in poverty.

Throughout the 20th century certain women helped change women’s roles in America. Emily Balch, Jane Addams, and Lillian Wald are among the most notable. They created settlement houses and launched missions in crowded, unsanitary neighborhoods where immigrants lived. Balch, Addams, and Wald offered social services to the women in children often inviting them into their homes and classrooms.

Women took on leadership roles starting in the church. Women became involved with the church activities, a few went on to become president of the societies. The women who joined these societies worked with their members some of whom were full-time teachers, nurses, missionaries, and social workers to accomplish their leadership tasks and make a difference. The Association for the Sociology of Religion was the first to elect a woman president in 1938.