Female Occupations

This is a carefully researched A-Z of women’s employment, covering over 100 years of change. The entries are based on an encyclopaedic approach, each full of interest and information, as they chart the steadily evolving status of women and the historic struggle to broaden the job opportunities open to them.

Early occupations that were considered socially suitable included dairymaid, fisherwoman, governess, and stone picker. The decline of domestic service and the effect of the two World Wars, gave way to the modern era of access for women to all categories and ranks of employment from accountants, army officers, and diplomats, to captains of industry and even prime minister.

Female Occupations contains over 300 entries. Each of these has some explanation of what the job entailed, the historical setting, and examples or stories of women who were involved with it.