Men and Women Working in a Shoe Factory Office, Boston, Massachusetts, 1903

Women found new employment opportunities as the industrial and managerial revolutions of the late 19th century increased the need for office workers. There were few job opportunities in the professions, outside of nursing and teaching, so literate women often turned to office work. By 1900, women made up more than a third of clerical workers. Still, opportunity was limited--very few female office workers became office executives.