The Research Of American Women Workers Problem In The Gilded And Progressive Era

The Gilded and Progressive Era of American is a period of rapid industrialization. With the rapid development of industrial economy, female labor force grew up accordingly. Female labor force had the four main sources as follows: Firstly, married and unmarried women of the new southern and eastern Europe immigrants; Secondly, the domestic immigrant girls; Thirdly, the middle class girl; Fourthly, the black women. The main body of the Women workers is the single, unmarried, poor immigrant girls or second generation immigrant during this period. Increasing in the number of women workers is a combination product of objective economic and social conditions and women work trends.Limited by the traditional concept ,race, origin , the lack of technology and other factors, Women's work choices is very narrow, most of which distributed in unskilled or semi- technology industry. Poor working conditions and low paid of women workers. Drifted girls rent narrow poor hygiene houses. Even so, wages earned can't counterbalance expenditure. Women workers aroused the concern of the whole society. Progressive activists recognized the work condition of women wokers will affect their health and moral quality and advocates legislation to protect workers ;The radical feminists advocated that women's job opportunities should be expanded and encouraged them to work; AFL(American Federation of Labor) considered women workers as a threat to men and suggested that women should be expelled from the labor market; The employers were against the women workers'reforms. Driven by the Progressives, the government introduced protective legislation of women workers, including the working time legislation and minimum wage legislation.