What events led to women being in the workforce?

Answer 1

Women's entrance into the workforce was driven by labor force needs and economics.

At the dawn of the industrial age, there was a need for a large number of "cheap" workers. The majority of the labor force at that time was agrarian and there was not a sufficient force available. The first major industry to use large numbers of workers was the spinning mill industry. Women were well suited to the work needs because they were - cheap, available in sufficient numbers, and well suited to the dexterity required in that industry. Women were also very subservient and expendable.

The next major contributor, and the one that really opened doors for women was the second world war. With the male labor force decimated to serve in the armed forces, women were recruited to step into the industrial, and other, labor forces in Hugh numbers. Women showed themselves capable of handling most jobs thought to be too tough for women.

After the war, most women were displaced by returning servicemen, but the crack in the dike had been made. Some women never left the "male" workplace, and others worked their way back in.

The last of the major forces was the Equal Employment Opportunity laws enacted in the last quarter of the 20th Century.