Helen Campbell's documentation of women's work experiences in the Gilded Age

¶ … Gilded age, millions of women were employed in shops and factories. Others worked for wealthier households as domestic workers doing household chores. Several women favored to work in factories as opposed to working as domestic servants. Helen Campbell, a journalist, interviewed people who had formerly worked as servants to ascertain the reason for the preference (Cott and Boydson, 2016). An American woman aged 22 called Margaret stated that the ultimate goal for everyone was freedom. Waitresses got two days off their work in a week. Those working in the house seldom had such privileges. They were engaged throughout the week and there was little break. Waitresses, on the other hand were assured of getting at least two days to spend on themselves. Margaret said that the two off days gave her freedom to pursue whatever ends she wanted. Another woman noted that sharing and working with others meant that she was to stick to the common rules and there was hardly any cause to complain. Furthermore, another worker of Irish origin stated that she had come to America to make their lives better and not to slave under people who would just order her around. Those interviewed seemed to push for the idea of freedom, the domestic workers resented the idea of someone continuously bossing them around. They shared the opinion that women bosses were not easy to work under; they would push one around while not exactly sure what they wanted. Assuming the position of a servant would mean being accepting of the limitations that came with the position and majority of the interviewed individuals did not like the idea. Another interviewee working as a chambermaid said that not even a minute was available for her to spend alone. She was working with 4 other workers and they shared a room. It is not an easy thing giving up your life to live under orders constantly (Campbell 1996).

About the author

Helen Stuart Campbell was a reformer, author and one of the pioneers in movement of home economics. She did stories detailing the struggles of women especially in poverty and domestic life. She hailed from New York. She schooled in Warren located in Rhode Island, as well as, at Mrs. Cook's Seminary that is situated in Bloomfield, New Jersey. At the beginning of her career as a writer, she did Children's books under the name Helen Weeks, her married name. As a home economics activist, she was instrumental in organizing the "National Household Economics Association" (Women Working n.d.).

She published a textbook titled The Easiest Way in House-Keeping and Cooking in the year 1881. The book she is best known for is her 1882 work The Problem of the Poor, which was based on her experiences serving in New York City. In 1887, she produced another book titled Prisoners of Poverty that was followed by Women Wage Earners in 1893 for which the American Economic Association gave her an award. A fictional work, Herndon's Income (1886) portrayed the effects low wages had on women (Women Working n.d.).

Campbell was a teacher at North Carolina's Raleigh School of Cooking in 1878 for a short while and later at the Wisconsin University. The New York Tribune hired her in 1886 to help study women's condition in New York's departmental stores and needle trades. She also worked in Chicago's Unity Settlement as head resident. Her spent her last days in Dadham, Massachusetts (Women Working n.d.).

Understanding of History

The preference of women to work in industrial or business settings as opposed to domestic settings is far more widespread today than it seemed to have been in the past, however the reasons for the preference seem to be unchanged. As Helen Campbell's investigations reveal, women working in domesticated settings don't get breaks from their undefined routine and even if they do, it seems they have to make up for the work they missed once the return from the break. Whereas, the women working in professional, business or industrial domains have defined roles to play with regular breaks and pretty much a set standard to uphold which makes it easier for them to not only work but also relax. Not much has changed today. The problem is that the domestic employer hasn't learned much about defined roles from past experiences. In my opinion, domestic work would not necessarily be as stressful as professional work if the schedule and expectations were set before hand; however, the unclear nature of the work or its expectations makes many women today not only turn to industrial and professional lines of work but it causes many new mothers to prefer being working mothers as opposed to domesticated ones.