Work
The phrase “women’s work” was used to describe the work that women were considered “suitable” for—typically undervalued unpaid housekeeping and child-rearing. As recently as the 1960s most women were limited to certain fields: paid domestic work, nursing, teaching, secretarial work. Women who worked in alternate fields often didn’t get credit for their work. These examples from the Smithsonian collections prove women’s work is any work that women want to do!
Collection Objects
Explore these highlights or other collections related to women and their work.
Videos
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Dolores Huerta was interviewed by Taína Caragol, curator of Latino art and history at the National Portrait Gallery on September 24, 2015. Through her example as a labor and civil rights leader, and her challenge to norms that restrict women's role in society, Dolores Huerta became an early symbol of female power for the Chicano and feminist movements.

Smithsonian American Women
