Working Women in Society

The number of women working outside the home has risen in most industrialized countries throughout the last twenty years, and it continues to rise in many developing countries. (Cherrin &Conway, 1998) One of the major contributions to this factor is the fact that the country went through in an Industrial Revolution which made it easier for women to be able to leave the home, and give up their housekeeping responsibilities to help her husband bring income …

…the workforce at this time was during times of war. During the Civil War women left their homes to work as teachers, nurses, and seamstresses who made clothing and other materials required by the military. (Lifton, 1964) At this time, women accounted for fifty-five to sixty percent of teachers. Even during these times women were still making less than men. In Iowa, female teachers made $4.40 per week while male teachers made $6.28 per week. (Riley, 1988 p. 104-105)