Blog #8
What were the most significant developments in women’s wage labor in the late nineteenth century? How did they affect working-class, middle-class, and elite women?
In the late nineteenth century the economy increased dramatically. As a consequence women labor increase. Women worked in the production of clothing which was the introduction of women in new fields. The majority of women worker were young and unmarried. That was an excuse for employers to pay a minimum wage to these women since they did not have any responsibilities only to support themselves. The middle and upper class had the opportunity to get educated, participate in civic activities and also to have public authority (284). The married women that were working were considered the worst of the society since they were considered the cause of social crises.
Since women wages were cut and were victims of layoff; they were part of many strikes and labor conflicts. In the 1870’s angry workers joined the Knights of labor, it started a secret organization but gain popularity because of campaigning to short the working hours to eight hours.
The growth of the post-Civic War era created a vast amount of factories and industries that gave a new and important role to women of the middle and upper class. They did not stay anymore at home cooking and making cloth but they went to shop. That was their new obligation as house women.
What is the importance of the images on page 345 for understanding Native American women’s experience during the era of western consolidation?
Those pictures show the “before and after” Indian American children. White people were trying to Americanize the Indians so they used to take a picture just to show the changes of the children lives. In the before picture the girls are not sitting on chairs they had a blanket to cover them and they braids this shows their own culture. They look sad and very uncomfortable. In the “after” picture they are grown up with a dress no more blankets around and no braids but their face is still sad. Looks like the world that they living on is very uncertain definitely is a world were they not belong to. Even though they were getting educated they were not happy.
What different sorts of women does Bessie Van Vorst meet in the factory, and how and why do their responses to their work vary?
Bessie started working in the factory sealing bottles of pickles at the begging she was making everything fast and working hard but when the day was over she started feeling the consequences. She had terrible pain in her hands her whole body aches. She met many girls at the factory some of them were just working for pleasure. They were supported by their parents by they wanted to buy cloths and give themselves some treats. Other women had children and husband but they still wanted to work at the factories. While Bessie was there because she did not have anyone to support her and she must work.
Why does Van Vorst conclude that working women are passive in accepting their working conditions and unwilling to stand up for themselves in the way of working men? Do you think she is right?
I do not think women were passive. Women were still afraid to speak up about their rights. They were making so much less money than men but still since they were women they always were complaining to each other and talking about their unfortunate but they did not say anything to their employers. Also women were not complaining with their employers because they felt that it was a good opportunity that they finally worked outside the house. So for them to strike was not a good idea since they were grateful of the chance given to work in a factory.
2 comments:
PR# 1
Hi Geny, I agree with your answer for question 1, it seems the movement was somewhat bittersweet. With the rich getting richer and benefiting from the labour of the poorer women who would make clothing for department stores etc. The lower class would drift farther away from any sort of decent life. On one hand they could work now, earn a living to help provide for their family but the wages and conditions were so treacherous it was almost impossible to survive.
I agree with your answer for this question also. The photograph was so telling of, from my assumptions an entire race. The expressions on the faces of the girls have not changed in over a year span, they represent so much sadness and anger. I would assume also the presence of the white, either male or female ‘photographer’ would inhibit them further and probably ‘helped’ provoke such tragic emotion. I can only hope amongst each other they were able to find happiness.
I think you failed to mention a couple of important points in this question. As you said some women were there to make money for themselves, I feel this would maybe alter their motivation and willingness to work, therefore perhaps limit the amount of work they produced. Whereas, for example a single mother who was being relied upon for food and shelter would more likely push herself to produce ‘better’ results, because her life would depend on it. As with any generalization I’m sure there were of course exceptions to this.
I think here Van Vorst was correct in suggesting the women were passive, but of course only outwardly. As you said the women were afraid to speak up, but would absolutely see the injustice and spend a great deal of time complaining and talking on the subject. I think Van Vorst recognized the reasoning for this, which was due to the fact there wasn’t unity among all women due to the various motivations for them being there. Also, as you mentioned because they were so grateful to be earning a living, they were scared any friction would cause them to lose their jobs.
- The rich were once again the ones who made out while the poor only worked at make the rich even more well off then they already were.
- Pictures always express emotions allot better then words and the sorrow captured here was able to speak for all going through the same experience. It allows whoever views it to feel compassion for the girls.
- The women that worked for themselves had allot less tolerance for the work force while women that relied on their own income to survive did what they must in order to survive.
- Women were passive during the time in order to maintain their jobs even though they didnt approve of the way they were treated, they dealt with it in order to keep their jobs.
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