In many cases, a nation in the process of industrial development heavily relied on the labor of women. Their recruitment plus the types of work they were engaged in reflected deep seated assumptions and attitudes about the fundamental nature of women as opposed to men.

1)  Why Recruit Women?   Essay on rationale for recruiting women into the industrial workforce.

2)  The Plight of Women's Work in the Early Industrial Revolution in England and Wales  Primary source lesson with background information, documents and images.

3)  Women’s Work in Industrial Revolutions  Four short primary sources from Europe and East Asia with ways to analyze them.

4)  Juki Girls: Clothing, Factory Work, and Changing Gender Roles in Sri Lanka  Document based curriculum featuring views on dress requirement of female factory workers.