Women at Work: 

         Change and Continuity

 1940s-2010s

Women face challenges balancing work-life and home- life that, 

historically and today, differ from their male counterparts. 

✨Race, gender, and class influenced society's expectations of women and where they worked. 

✨Women toiling outside the home had experiences which were diverse, and working conditions improved over time, but female employees still find challenges in the workplace that their male counterparts do not. 

This exhibit looks at what conditions have changed, what continues to be problematic, and where improvements are possible. 

All workers face obstacles on the job but the challenges some women faced were due to their gender and social expectations that men do not share. 


🛑Harassment 🛑Discrimination ❤️Childcare/Elder Care ⏳Societal Expectations ⚖️Equal Treatment ⚖️Equal Pay


As society has changed over the past decades, much of what we considered “women’s issues” in previous decades 

are just “worker issues” that affect most people working outside the home.



Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, SMC 5051 

Dorinda Tabor operated a crane at US Steel,

McDonald Works from 1942-1944, stating

 “I liked the experience....I think the women found out they were able to do more than keep house and raise kids... [and] realized they were very capable.”




         U.S. Steel McDonald Work  Courtesy of Ohio History Connection, Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, MSS 0036

Women worked in segregated departments with male supervisors during World War II. 

These workers are assembling gas tanks for air crafts at Youngstown Steel Door. 

Courtesy of the Ohio History Connection

 (7-27-23). YHC MSS0035