Synopses & Reviews
This pioneering work traces the transformation of "women's work" into wage labor in the U.S. from colonial days to the present and identifies the social, economic, and ideological forces that have shaped our expectations of what women do. Basing her observations upon the personal experience of individual American women set against the backdrop of American society at the time, Alice Kessler-Harris examines the effects of class, ethnic and racial patterns, changing perceptions of wage work for women, and the relationship between wage-earning and family roles. By tracking the historical integration of women into the labor force, the author argues that women's current efforts to gain full economic equality are part of a larger process that is destined to succeed.
Review
"In this fine and expansive work, Alice Kessler-Harris traces the history of wage-earning women in America from colonial times through the present." New Directions for Women
Review
"Without doubt, one of the most influential and well-written books on the subject yet to appear. A real must for courses on labor history or women's history." Marlette Rebhorn, Austin Community College
Review
"Does an outstanding job integrating women's history and labor history. I am especially impressed by the interplay of culture and technology in this sophisticated analysis." M. Bellesiles, Emory University
Review
"[A] highly readable, wide ranging and exciting synthesis of the history of women's work the best one volume treatment I've seen." Barbara Melosh, George Mason University
Review
"At last a study that sees women's family work and paid work as an interconnected whole! Kessler-Harris' sophisticated analysis of the relationship of work-force segmentation and cultural attitudes about women's role makes an important advance, blending Labor and Women's History in a highly readable text." Gerda Lerner, University of Wisconsin, Madison
About the Author
Alice Kessler-Harris is Professor of History and Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Work and Leisure at Hofstra University. She is author of Women Have Always Worked and co-editor of Past Imperfect: Alternative Essays in American History