Prisoners of Poverty: Women Wage-Workers, Their Trades and Their Lives

"Prisoners of Poverty: Women Wage-Workers, Their Trades and Their Lives" by Helen Campbell is a late 1800s study that shines a light on the difficulties of women workers, especially in New York City. Campbell wants to show the unfair treatment and hard lives of these women caused by low pay and bad working environments, using interviews and research to bring their troubles to light. The book starts with a look into how many women are trapped by poverty, with characters, like Rose Haggerty, dealing with family responsibilities and poor job conditions that lead to hopelessness. It paints a picture of a world where intense poverty clashes with the often unseen work of women, setting a serious tone for the rest of the book.