Women's History Commons^™

“A Life Stripped Of Humanity”: Using The Buffalo Department Store Strike Of 1913 As A Case Study Of Abused Pre-World War I Female Department Store Workers, Kyle Thaine

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

When one considers the movement of women into the labor force, images of Rosie the Riveter, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, or New England textile mills are often conjured. But many women entered the workforce through retail employment, seemingly a much better work environment. Considering awful workplace conditions, these retail women workers are often overlooked. This paper argues that pre-World War I era female department store workers were an abused class that suffered as much as many of their female contemporaries. The paper begins with a general discussion of women’s labor history up until 1913, with a focus on women in …