In the late Victorian period, the concept of "working women" was still new and unfamiliar to most readers. As the idea that women of good breeding could, in fact, take jobs outside the home, magazines began to run articles endeavoring to show just what this "working world" was like. The Girl's Own Paper ran several essay competitions inviting working women to describe their jobs and working lives.

Women Who Work: A five-part series on working women, in their own words. (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1875)

The Hospital Nurse

Post Office Clerks

Charwomen

The Companion

Needlewomen

Thirty Years in Journalism, by Jennie June (Demorest, 1886)

The Struggles of a Lady Journalist (Girl's Own Paper, 1888)

"Their Living to Get" - The Story of Four Girls and Their Start in Life (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1891)

Girls Who Work With Their Hands (Girl's Own Paper, 1896)

Excerpts from a competition run by the GOP to find out, in their own worlds, a bit about the lives and work of factory girls and other women workers. Some fascinating snippets about women's working lives!

Competition for Professional Girls(Girl's Own Paper, 1897)

Professional women (including a nurse, a collector of folklore, a professional musician and a writer) describe their work and working lives in this Victorian essay competition.

Essay Competitions for Working Girls (Girl's Own Paper, 1897)

A collection of essays from "girls who work with their hands" that won a Girls' Own Paper competition - interesting look at working conditions in the late 19th century!