WOMEN IN

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WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE• By the late 19th century many upper & middle class women had the

means & time to devote to social issues while the majority of women were resigned to work for wages outside the home

• Those in rural areas were forced to raise the children, take care of the home as well as help with the farm chores

• Women who worked in industry earned a little more & the options were far & few in between & as they were barred from union membership

• By 1900 one in five women worked outside the home with 25% of those jobs in manufacturing, ½ in the garment industry

• Wages were half of their male counterparts

• Women did see an increase in those that attended college as by 1890 women graduates outnumbered male graduates

• Domestic work also claimed a large number of women workers, especially in the African American community

• The push for reform would come from those working in industry

• Dangerous conditions, low wages, & long hours were the norm

• The push would grow after 146 workers were burned to death at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory

• Women also began to discuss issues at women's clubs which would grow into reform groups

WOMEN LEAD REFORM

• By the late 19th century marriage was not a woman's only option as many entered the workforce or college

• Many of these women would never marry as half of the educated women would remain single & independent & applied their skills to needed social reform

WOMEN IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The unskilled workers started the reform movement but it was the educated that would strengthen & lead it

Because women were not allowed to vote they would concentrate on social issues such as workplace reform, housing, education, & food & drug regulation

In 1886 the National Association for Colored Women was established (NACW)

In 1848 after Seneca Falls convention Susan B. Anthony & Elizabeth Cady Stanton emerged as a leaders in the fight for women's suffrage founding the National Women Suffrage Association (NWSA)

NWSA would later merge with another suffrage group forming the National American Woman Suffrage Association

WOMEN AND REFORM

• Suffragists tried 3 approaches to gain the vote

1. Convince state legislatures to grant them the vote

2. In Court challenging the 14th Amendment

3. A national amendment• By the end of the century only

moderate success had been gained in the area of suffrage but considerable progress had been made in the area of food & drug regulation as well as in the workplace

A THREE-PART STRATEGY FOR SUFFRAGE