The socio-historical development of secretarial work in England 1870-1910 : a study in vocational socialisation and occupational ideology
The socio-historical development of secretarial work in England 1870-1910 : a study in vocational socialisation and occupational ideology
This thesis is a study of a specific occupational field and of its development as a role for women, considering both the occupation itself and its participants. It covers a time span of some 40 years between the time when women first began to enter the clerical workforce c1870 and the onset of the Great War, which brought many changes affecting both the occupational culture and the workers within it. It is essentially a study of an emerging middle-class gender specific occupation and of the life-styles and experiences of the members of it. This is an under-researched area which offers a wealth of socio-historical data providing insights into a hitherto marginalised aspect of Victorian and Edwardian society.
The study begins by examining the role contemporaneously, continuing with analysis of sociological factors related to the modern day world of office work. It then moves from a sociological perspective to a socio-historical one, studying the early history of office work and concentrating on a detailed study of both the women of the period and their entry to the clerical workforce. Here the particular focus is on the experiences of the women pioneers within this occupational role, seeking to study the substantive area both analytically and empathetically.
University of Southampton
1994
Abbott, Josephine Mary
(1994)
The socio-historical development of secretarial work in England 1870-1910 : a study in vocational socialisation and occupational ideology.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
This thesis is a study of a specific occupational field and of its development as a role for women, considering both the occupation itself and its participants. It covers a time span of some 40 years between the time when women first began to enter the clerical workforce c1870 and the onset of the Great War, which brought many changes affecting both the occupational culture and the workers within it. It is essentially a study of an emerging middle-class gender specific occupation and of the life-styles and experiences of the members of it. This is an under-researched area which offers a wealth of socio-historical data providing insights into a hitherto marginalised aspect of Victorian and Edwardian society.
The study begins by examining the role contemporaneously, continuing with analysis of sociological factors related to the modern day world of office work. It then moves from a sociological perspective to a socio-historical one, studying the early history of office work and concentrating on a detailed study of both the women of the period and their entry to the clerical workforce. Here the particular focus is on the experiences of the women pioneers within this occupational role, seeking to study the substantive area both analytically and empathetically.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Published date: 1994
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 458538
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/458538
PURE UUID: c8882d4f-ba66-4b13-a028-5d544e40eedb
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 16:51
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 16:51
Export record
Contributors
Author:
Josephine Mary Abbott
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics