“Breadwinning Daughters: Young Working Women in a Depression-Era City” by Katrina Srigley

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The main issues addressed in the book
Conclusion

Introduction

Katrina Srigley’s book, Bread winning Daughters: Young Working Women in a Depression-Era City, 1929-1939, elucidates the impact of the great depression to the Canadians living in Toronto. It comprises the findings from a research she carried out employing more than eighty interviews with women who not only lived but also worked in Toronto during the great depression era. Her book brings out the role that young women played during the 1930s in Canada.

It was one of the most difficult decades in the twentieth century and its impact was evident in Canada. The two most important factors that characterized this period in history were the economic crash of the stock exchange market as well as the onset of the Second World War. The role of women as well as their lifestyle underwent a huge twist in their attempt to meet the demands of the society.

The main issues addressed in the book

Srigley argues that the great depression caused economic vulnerability to the populations in Toronto, which led to her desire to examine the plight of the young women during that era since most researchers were concerned about the men. She found out that women had to assist in meeting the basic needs in the family, a phenomenon that did not exist before 1930.

She attributes the increase in urban population to the migration of people, mainly women, to the city in search for jobs. For those who got jobs, their primary concern was to support their families back in the rural areas giving the book the title ‘Breadwinning Daughters’.

She further explains that in the job market, there were specific jobs for women such as nursing, teaching as well as clerical jobs. The limitations of these jobs were low wages and little or no access to power and privileges. The author points out that the young women had to sacrifice a lot to acquire their jobs as well as retain them.

Most of the young employed women had to pay dearly to maintain their jobs. They had to quit their education to get a job to be able to support their families. The author explains that truncation of their education increased their vulnerability to jobs with low wages that had no privileges worsening their situations.

In addition, employment delayed or even prevented young women from getting married at their desired age. In her research, Srigley found out that during the 1930s careers such as nursing, teaching and clerical works did not allow women to get married. As a result, most young women chose their career over family life although it was a major source of stress to them.

The author attributes the reduction of population in Canada during that time to the fact that fewer women chose to get married. For the women who chose other careers, they did not attract much attention if they did not present a significant threat to domesticity. Most of the women that Srigley interviewed admitted that truncation of their education as well as foregoing marriage were the most difficult choices they had ever made.

Conclusion

The book presents the major socioeconomic changes that occurred in Toronto during the Great Depression era-in the 1930s. The author’s findings explain the increase in the number of employed women in Toronto as well as the increase in urban population. She points out that though employment of women was important to the economy of the society, it deprived them some privileges such as pursuing their education for better careers as well as family life-marriage.

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“Breadwinning Daughters: Young Working Women in a Depression-Era City” by Katrina Srigley

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