History of the Labor Movement: Women and Labor

Unlike many societal systems during the industrial revolution, the hardships wrought by poor working conditions did not discriminate: all workers suffered under such rigors, regardless of gender. Sweatshops of the era often employed women exclusively, and from the beginning women workers have struggled against long hours, low wages, and hazardous working conditions.

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.

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.” Jones was famous for her fiery support of the mining strikes during the late 19th century; in 1899, she gained publicity for encouraging miners’ wives to fend off strikebreakers with brooms and mops.

Child labor was also a prime target for Jones’ activism. In 1903, she organized a “Children's Crusade,” gathering children who labored in mills and mines to march upon the Long Island vacation home of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Jones’ cause gained ground in 1900 with the founding of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union. Nine years later, employees of New York city’s Triangle Shirtwaist Factory abandoned their posts in protest of the firing of Garment Union members. The company’s attempts to intimidate picketers using physical force sparked an industry-wide strike, which saw 20,000 female workers leave their sweatshops in solidarity. In 1911, a fire swept through the same Triangle Factory, killing 145 women, who couldn’t get out due to inadequate fire escape routes. For many, the Triangle Shirtwaist blaze illustrated a dire need for the very reform women were fighting for.

However, even the contributions of thousands of women could not uproot the prejudice embedded throughout 19th and 20th century America. Many large labor unions, such as the American Federation of Labor, did not admit women into their ranks. Those who pushed sexist ideals saw the prospect of full employment for women as a threat to the working man. In one instance, employees of the Kelsey-Hayes Wheels Corporation struck in opposition to women on the production floor. Other labor organizations, such as the United Auto Workers, opted against training women until every unemployed man had found work.

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. 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. Since then, the battle for equal employment has been hard fought, carried on today by women's labor groups—such as the Coalition of Labor Union Women—who push for legislative reform to combat workplace discrimination.