Working Women
as domestic servants into the 20th century. They found low-wage jobs as cooks, nurses,
servants, and laundresses to support themselves and contribute essential income to the family purse. Black women worked outside the home for most of their lives, starting as early as 10 years old and continuing through middle and sometimes old age, even when they had children of their own.
After emancipation, African American women chose to live away from their jobs and to travel daily to work. This arrangement allowed them to take care of their families’ needs and participate in their own communities, especially the church. In the freetowns, neighbors, older children, and elderly relations often watched over young children.
Often a girl’s first job was to care for children in the homes of nearby white families, but as women matured, they often preferred to take in laundry. This occupation offered more independence than other domestic positions. Washerwomen could work from home,
receiving dirty loads at the beginning of the week and washing and drying clothes in their
own backyards.
