Credit: Image donated by Corbis-Bettmann
Women's dexterity with the typewriter gained them entrance into white-collar employment, and the cleaner and less strenuous working conditions that it offered compared to many other occupations open to women. In the 1880s, when a saleswoman might be on her feet all day long and make only $6 a week, a woman "typewriter" could earn $15-20 a week. Once typing became a female occupation, the pay scale dropped significantly.
