In this fresh perspective on one of the major demographic trends in our history, Weiner skillfully interweaves evidence on women's employment, government social policy, and the contemporary debate about women's sphere to explore the interconnections between patterns of women's work and the ideologies that arose in response to that work. In uniting the sources and methods of social and intellectual history, the author illuminates the changes in women's lives during the past 250 years. Originally published in 1985. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

This detailed account of early office working conditions and practices draws on archival and anecdotal data to analyze women officeworkers' ambitions and explore how the influences of scientific management, personnel management, and secondary vocational education affected office workplaces and hierarchies. "A richly textured and interesting book. . . . Enriches our understanding of the history of the labor force in general and office work in particular." -- American Historical Review "Strom shows, better than any other labor historian has, how class, age, and marital status divided women in the office." -- Women's Review of Books "Using massive quantitative and qualitative data, the author thoroughly examines the social conditions, prevailing ideologies, and individual responses involved. . . . Well recommended." -- Choice