Once it became clear that women were going to work, regardless of arguments to the contrary, the key question was "what types of work are appropriate for a gentlewoman?" Many publications offered "roundup" articles of ideas for suitable employment for women of the better classes. For information on specific jobs, see the Jobs section.

Female Employment (Leisure Hour, 1860)

Seeking Work (Leisure Hour, 1860)

Making Money, by Jenny June (Demorest, 1873)

Talks with Women: Work, by Jenny June (Demorest, 1873)

Tips on finding useful and suitable employment.

Domestic Service for Gentlewomen, by R.M. Crawshay (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1876)

On the one hand, this author argues that "lady-helps" are an excellent form of employment for ladies in need of work; on the other hand, one wonders what they might actually do, since the author also notes that "I should be very sorry to hear of any lady engaging herself to scour floors, to black-lead grates, to clean pots and pans, to carry pails, water, or coal, or to varnish any shoes except her own..."

New Employments for Women (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1877)

A charmingly mixed article on employments for women, which argues on one hand that women are made for domesticity but recognizes, on the other, that economic necessity compels them to find jobs. Women apparently are barely able to bear the nervous strain of working in the telegraph office - yet only recently have been freed from working in the coal-pits.

On Earning One's Living, by S.F.A. Caulfeild (Girl's Own Paper, 1880)

An interesting overview of the types of work currently considered suitable for young women. The list includes clerking, book-keeping and agriculture, but is still heavy on such choices as china-painting, dressmaking, millinery, and other artistic/craft pursuits.

What Girls May Do, by Alice King (Girl's Own Paper, 1880)

Literary pursuits and handwork are still strongly advised!

The Employment of Girls (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1881)

Profitable Employment for Gentlewomen (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1883)

Some tips on how to approach the quest for employment.

Remunerative Employments for Gentlewomen (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1884)

Work for All (Girl's Own Paper, 1884)

Detailed article covering many types of employment available for women, along with the qualifications required, where and how to get training, salary expectations, and more.

Remunerative Employments for Gentlewomen (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1885)

Women Workers in the United States

A female art instructor in the US informs British ladies of the job opportunities available in this country, how to apply, and what to expect when they get here.

Employments for Gentlewomen (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1887)

Finding Employment for Women, by Anne Beale (Quiver, 1889)

An employment registry offers positions for women as clerks, book-keepers, housekeepers, compositors, shorthand secretaries, dressmakers, waitresses, auditors, governesses, waitresses, and even superintendent of science and art examinations for women.

Lady Dufferin and the Women of India (The Strand, 1891B)

This article provides an interesting look at the status of "lady doctors" in Britain - along with the need for them in India (where women were not permitted to be seen by a male doctor), and the development of medical training of women in India.

New Employments for Girls, by S.F.A. Caulfeild (Girl's Own Paper, 1892)

Though this article focuses primarily on occupations that can provide a supplemental income (rather than one's full support), it covers a wide range of opportunities, with tips on where to obtain training or other assistance in getting started.

Are Lady Helps a Success? Yes, by Edith Cuthell (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1894)

New Paid Occupations for Women, by Elizabeth J. Banks (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1894)

"Perhaps if these very women who continually assure us that they are eminently qualified to do nothing would set to work to get better acquainted with themselves, they would discover that, after all, there are numberless quiet genteel occupations in which they could engage that would be neither very difficult nor distasteful to them."

New Ways of Making Money (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1894)

"Women have far greater means of earning a livelihood than formerly; but they get money not so much in fresh channels as at the expense of men."

📖 Also available in the September 2017 issue of Victorian Times.

Paying Occupations for Gentlewomen: Home-Work, by Elizabeth Banks (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1896)

Paying Occupations for Gentlewomen: Out-Door Work, by Elizabeth Banks (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1896)

Paying Occupations for Gentlewomen: Office and Other Work, by Elizabeth Banks (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1896)

Bread-Winning at Home, by Margaret Bateson (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

Opportunities include making balls, boxing gloves, dolls, and a variety of other industries. The third article looks at a variety of home-based industries in South London, including box-making, basket-weaving, brush-making, and "fur-pulling" (pulling fur from rabbit skins). The fourth looks at East London clothing trades, and the fifth examines embroidery, knitting and crochet.

Four Quotations, by Honnor Morten (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

Brief excerpt from "Questions for Women and Men," with information on women as cooks, women as inspectors of prisons, and the number of women in prison.

The Revival of Art Needlework and Embroidery, by Florence Sophie Davson (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

A look at the possibilities of embroidery as a trade for ladies, including schools and instructors in the art.

Some Healthful Employments for Girls, by Gordon Stables (Girl's Own Paper, 1900)

These seem to be more in the line of "healthy hobbies" that might earn a bit of pocket money than actual careers.

The Failures of the Business Girl, by Flora Klickman (Girl's Own Paper, 1901)

A four-part article covering writing and literary pursuits; music and art; clerks and typewriting; and dressmaking -- and the mistakes that will lead to failure in all of these trades. (Worthy of note: Klickman went on to become the editor of The Girl's Own Paper for many years.)

Domestic Service as a Profession for Gentlewomen, by Alix Joson (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)

"There is nothing lowering in domestic work unless we make it so."

Girls' Ambitions, by Lily Watson (Girl's Own Paper, 1902)