Stratifying by Sex

Alice Kessler-Harris emphasizes in her essay "Stratifying by Sex: Understanding the History of Working Women" on the sexual division of labor in society. She explains early in her essay "the relationship between changing ideas about women and divisions in the workforce involves several important elements" (97.) Reading the essay helped understand the factors why women work and why they do not. These "elements" are largely based on the families economic status and also the nations economic increase in growth or decrease in growth. For the most part women's role in the family was stay home and maintain and functional household where the husband can eat and rest and where the children can be educated and learn the necessary tools to mature and be prepared for life. Kessler-Harris mentioned it quite well when she says "Family and work were bound together" (100) in the early colonial period. The families were like businesses in which everybody had key roles to play in order for the family to be strong. The biggest thing that she mentions is that this integrated system of work and family morphed into one, and for the most part work did not tear the family apart or interfere the routine. But as external factors changed we notice how the roles in families expanded to help the nation. Like the Lowell mills, women were the ideal targets because they were already equipped with the tools to keep these businesses open. Parents approved because it taught their children, specifcally young daughters, the meaning of hard work. But its interesteing how the displinary and diligent characteristiscs of these women mill workers was the reason for a change. Women did not allow themselves to be taken advantage of and this was portrayed in the creation of the Female Labor Reform Association in 1845. Overall, reading this essay really exemplified the ability women possesed to be strong and survive in society based by the work put into the family. It is intriguing how Kessler-Harris ties and emphasizes how work and family in essence are one running theme.