Final answer:
In the late 1800s, women managed farms, pursued secretarial work and nursing, and engaged in piecework from home. Societal expectations initially limited women's employment outside the home, but over time, through hard work, women overcame these challenges and began to transform their socio-economic roles.
Step-by-step explanation:
Business Opportunities for Women in the Late 1800s
In the late 1800s, women began adapting their household skills to engage in various forms of employment outside their traditional roles. These included taking on management responsibilities on farms, particularly in the western United States, where women often worked alongside men due to the challenges and demands of farm life. This partnership paved the way for legal and social progress, such as the early adoption of women's suffrage in states like those in the Pacific Northwest and Upper Midwest.
Transition to Paid Labour
As the era progressed, technological advancements allowed some women to allocate time towards employment outside the home, including secretarial work and nursing. Women who were unmarried, divorced, or widowed also sought jobs in factories and took in work such as laundry or boarders to make ends meet. Moreover, they often engaged in piecework, completing tasks at home for extra income.
Challenges to Overcome
Despite societal expectations that conflicted with female employment outside the home, many women resisted these norms and found jobs in commercial settings, though often in roles stereotypically associated with women and with lower pay. Through hard work and determination, women overcame numerous obstacles, laying the groundwork for the modern women's movement and altering their socio-economic roles significantly by the turn of the twentieth century.