Serving each other: Formal and informal support systems of early twentieth century waitresses

Wage-earning women of the early twentieth century challenged the traditional model of womanhood. Many women seeking jobs as wage-laborers found employment opportunities by serving the public as waitresses. To survive urban living conditions, these women allied themselves with each other and middle class women to combat a negative perception of themselves, and to form support networks for living and childcare. Furthermore, waitresses became a vocal force in labor history; they sought to found unions to meet their professional needs. In March, 1900, waitresses began organizing exclusively female unions. Unionizing goals reflected their condition as women in a society that was openly hostile to women wage earners. This study will utilize an engendered social-cultural perspective model to understand why and how waitresses established formal and informal systems of sisterhood and solidarity.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Master

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Grantor

Texas Woman's University

Year dc:date.issued

2001

Author dc:creator

• Taylor, Kimberly Kam

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Travis, Paul D.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Alexander, Jim
• Phillips, Brenda

• Social sciences
• Women's studies
• American labor relations
• Foodservice history

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/11274/11500

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:twu-ir.tdl.org:11274/11500