_Z_E_R_O t1_j511wlj wrote
I’d like to make a point here about all the modern sexist rhetoric pointing to the “good old days” when women didn’t work…
Women have always worked. But it was either outside the home in menial, criminally underpaid jobs, or doing domestic labor for almost no wages at all. This is especially true for minority and immigrant women, who often didn’t have a choice - they were exploited (and sometimes even downright enslaved), and were forced to hold down a job while also doing all the domestic work for their own families as well.
Oh, and these weren’t cushy office gigs either. It was stuff like manual labor, handwashing laundry, cleaning, hands-on childcare, and front-line healthcare. Brutal, demoralizing work with terrible hours and even worse pay.
A lot of work reform movements leave out womens’ historic contributions both to social causes and to the labor force as a whole.
notacanuckskibum t1_j51408a wrote
The term "spinster" for an unmarried woman derives from their most common occupation, Spinning yarn.
_Z_E_R_O t1_j514q1x wrote
In a similar vein, the stereotypical “witchy” look came about because of female brewers, who wore long aprons and carried brooms as part of their work.
Minnesotan-Gaming OP t1_j515zb1 wrote
I took a gender studies class where they talked about it and showed a documentary. I remember they did an interview and one of the secretaries was told to get up and come into the bosses offices just so that she can take a calendar off the wall. I can't imagine doing work where you're basically put into a maid/servant to do basic tasks for someone who doesn't want to do them himself in addition to the sexual harassment
DBDude t1_j51cxd0 wrote
Some jobs are all other duties as required. I learned that in the Army, having spent a good percentage of my time there not doing my job, but something else.
Minnesotan-Gaming OP t1_j51f398 wrote
Well think of it this way. If you joined the army and instead of doing what the job description implied you were forced to retrieve coffee for your boss, adjust things in his room because he's too lazy to do it himself, forced to endure constant sexual harassment to the point where your boss is physically touching you and groping you, occasionally even raping you. in addition to all of this you are paid less than people who do less work than you, even if you work for years you will not receive a promotion while others will receive promotions for doing much much less work, you're paid significantly less, and if you ever speak up or talk about this you will be at risk of being fired.
DBDude t1_j51gl1a wrote
I did all that, except for the sexual harassment.
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