An account of the efforts of women to improve their working conditions, often in the face of hostility from employers and the public and the indifference of the male-dominated trade unions, discussing these efforts against the background of the major social, political, and economic events in American history.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 641-666) and index.

v. 1. From colonial times to the eve of World War I -- v. 2. From World War I to the present.