The Emergence of Working Women in America’s Industrial Era

The Emergence of Working Women in America’s Industrial Era
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Introduction
One of the positive and most significant outcomes of the American Civil War was the emergence and unprecedented growth of industries in America; this social transformation led to the emergence of America as an industrial giant (The Library of Congress, 2023). A unique aspect of this growth of the labor class was the unprecedented profusion of working women; the inclusion of women in the labor workforce resulted from the movements demanding equal political and economic rights for women (The Library of Congress, 2023b). Because of this radical social transformation, the proportion of women increased significantly, especially between 1865 and 1920. Women's entrance into the labor force heralded a new era as they got a chance to work for longer hours and advance their careers. Several women transformed their careers from blue-collar workers to white-collar officials (Kleinberg & Kleinberg, 1999, p.105). With the growing proportion of industrial labor, American women also actively engaged in labor unions and industrial politics. Several accounts of women's participation in industrial strikes and their active role in workers' unions manifest this historical reality (Mcconnell-Sidorick, 2017). Therefore, the following discussion aims to highlight the nature and capacity of women labor in the industry and their role in workers' unions and activities.
American Labor Force: The Role of Women
The rise in the number and diversity of women's workforce in America was highly prominent between 1880 and 1910. According to a reliable estimate, the number of women in this period rose exponentially from 2.6 million to 7.8 million (The Library of Congress, 2023b). This diversification of the role of women in industries increased their representation in business and various industries; however, approximately 60% of working women were involved in domestic service. Hence, gender limitation made women's experience of economic independence distinct from men's (The Library of Congress, 2023b). Nevertheless, working women of that time did make significant contributions to the national economy.
The steady rise of working women in the American industrial sector indicated their growing importance for the country's industrial growth. Between 1840 and 1920, the proportion of industrial women increased from 15% to 24%; these women earned wages as regular workers, and this characteristic differentiated them from other women engaged in non-paying domestic jobs (Kleinberg & Kleinberg, 1999, p.105). Women's marital status also determined their role in industries as only 5% of the working women of that time were married; besides, ethnicity also played a significant role as a majority of industrial women were African Americans (Brookings, 2021). Even though these factors did influence the nature, wages, and working conditions of American women's jobs, the overall proportion of paid women workers was much higher than usual estimates.
Unlike the common perception that only a fraction of women worked in the industrial sector and got wages, t...