OUTSIDE THE DOMESTIC SPHERE
People in the 19th century generally saw the home and family as women’s particular â
€œsphereâ€� of influence. Most middle-class women worked within the confines of their homes or
farms.
While some women in the South managed their own plantations, or kept accounts for their
husbands, work outside the home was generally discouraged until the late 19th century. Unmarried
women and widows usually lived with relatives. Women in the north were more likely to be
shopkeepers or take part in the family business, but homemaking skills were still respected.
Unfortunately, some women were forced to work. We have already discussed the immigrants and
minority women who worked as servants. Sometimes even middle-class women had to go to work
if there was no one to provide for them.
Debt and/or the death of a father or husband sometimes threw women into financial problems. A
widow might have to work just to feed her family. Job opportunities for women were comparatively
few. Women might work in stores or be seamstresses or milliners (hat makers). Educated girls
might teach music or become teachers or governesses. Nursing was not considered appropriate for
a well-brought-up girl until the late 19th century, and there were no female “secretaries� as
we know them today. Most jobs for women paid very poorly and the women were not always
treated well.
Poor women, of course, often had no other choice than to work outside the home. Some girls and
women worked in factories such as textile mills or in sweatshops that made clothings. Working
conditions were usually very poor and many women were killed or hurt.