Female Occupations: Women’s Employment from 1840 to 1950

This is a carefully researched A-Z of women’s employment, covering over 200 years of change. The entries themselves themselves are based on an encyclopaedic approach, each full of interest and information, as they chart the steadily evolving status of women and the job opportunities open to them. Early occupations considered socially suitable included dairymaid, fisherwoman, governess, and stone picker. The decline of domestic service and the effect of the two World Wars way to the modern era of access for women to all categories and ranks of employment. These include accountants, army officers, and diplomats, as well as captains of industry and even Prime Minister. The Dictionary of Female Occupations is aimed especially at family historians, and contains over 300 entries. Each has some explanation of what the job entailed, the historical setting, and examples or stories of women who were involved with it.