The National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum
Factories
In the early 1800s, job opportunities arose for women in factories. Working women, however, faced discrimination and harsh conditions: 12 to 14-hour days, six days a week, and were often paid less than what men received. In the iron industry, women had little part in production, although some records show that a few women worked as miners and casting cleaners.

Illustration: Women Making Cartridges, 1877 — Library of Congress