In the early 1900s, there was a growing push to improve working conditions for women. In particular, reformers were fighting for shorter hours, safer workspaces, and protection from exploitation. 

These efforts came from genuine concern for women’s rights. However, it would quickly become clear that nobody actually asked these working women what they needed…especially when the topic of night shifts came into the conversation. 

“Protection” that cost women their jobs

Following the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York, wherein 146 workers died as a result of neglected safety measures, a law took effect that banned women from working overnight in factories. The reasoning was that women, particularly mothers who should be at home at night with their children, needed protection from these dangerous working conditions. This law began in New York but would be adopted by other states as well. 

For Ella M. Sherwin, a printer and Linotype........

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