Navigating the Heartache WWI Brings
Having a family member “in service” or being in service yourself was common before the end of World War I. Domestic servants were needed to run the expansive homes of the upper middle class and wealthy prior to the invention of many electric conveniences. While today we may think of working as a maid, for…
Technology has been changing the face of the working world since the Industrial Revolution. Technology creates new employment opportunities while making other occupations obsolete. Think back on your own lifetime. How many switchboard operators do you know? How about gas station attendants who pump gas? The only constant for the past two centuries has been…
Women entered the 20th century with a world of opportunities. As the new century dawned, it was becoming increasingly common and acceptable for women to work. Women continued to hold many of the same positions they had before – teacher, servant, mill worker, shop girl and seamstress – but new jobs also enticed women. War…
For centuries, women worked in the home and on the family farm for no pay. It only has been in the past 200 years that women have been allowed to enter what was considered a man’s domain — the workforce. The idea of a woman working for an employer was shocking. Most considered the business…
It’s hard to imagine a time when government regulations didn’t protect workers’ safety. But a century ago, there were no regulations. No one had any reason to question why not. However, that all changed on the day of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. What is a shirtwaist? It’s a type of blouse. It became popular when…