Since the infancy of the United States, women have had to fight for better working conditions and for the right to work itself.

1. WOMEN AND
LABOR
HISTORY OF THE LABOR MOVEMENT
BY STEPHEN KOPPEKIN

2. In 1830, women in Lowell,
Massachusetts were hired to staff
textile mills, where they toiled among
extreme noise and heat for up to 14
hours a day.
When their pay was cut in 1834, mill
workers organized a series of walkouts
in pursuit of fair compensation.
The strikes drew nationwide attention,
and began a conversation that
continued in 1846, when Sarah Bagley
led the Lowell Female Labor Reform
Association to argue their case before
the Massachusetts General Court.
WOMEN ENTER
THE WORKFORCE

3. MOTHER JONES
Perhaps one of the most iconic figures
of the 19th century labor movement
was Mary Harris Jones, a Chicago
seamstress who traveled between
states leading strikes.
Taking up the moniker "Mother Jones,"
she swore to show up "wherever there
is a fight."

4. Meanwhile, just as women fought for their own economic empowerment and an
end to workplace discrimination, they also advocated for an end to the
practice of labor that was widespread in industrial production during the 18th
and early 19th centuries in the United States.

5. Many large labor unions, such as the
American Federation of Labor, did not
admit women into their ranks; they felt
that fighting for jobs for women would
jeopardize jobs for men. As a result,
women had to form their own
organizations to demand better wages
and working conditions.
After decades of demonstration,
unions began to realize that taking a
stance against women's employment
was detrimental to their membership,
as companies could simply hire women
to perform their jobs for less pay.

6. World War II (and, to a lesser extent,
World War I) created new economic
opportunities for women. As men went
off to war, women filled the factory jobs
that they left behind.
Once the wars ended, however, many of
these "Rosies" were relegated back to
old positions as men returned from the
front for their jobs.
WOMEN AND
WARTIME

7. A VICTORY AT LAST
Union support—spurred also by a swing in popular sentiment toward civil
rights—granted the Equal Pay Act of 1963 the momentum needed to pass
through Congress. The Equal Pay Act prohibited discrimination in pay
based on gender, however widespread pay inequality persisted for
decades. In response, labor unions lobbied to reduce the gender wage gap,
supporting efforts such as the 1979 National Committee for Pay Equity.

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