Find Out
Which activity suits you best!
If you chose mostly A’s – Teaching is the job for you! Being a teacher is an extension of
motherhood, so you will not face any opposition when searching for a job. In fact, most schools
desire to hire women! You can choose to set up your own school, or move to a larger city to teach
in an establishment. If you are really adventurous, dare to go out West and set up a frontier school
for the children of settlers.
If you chose mostly B’s – Medicine seems to fit you best. Nursing is learned through
experience; you will not receive any professional training. The nursing field is dominated by
women right now, so you will not have trouble finding a job. If you are quite ambitious, the Female
Medical College of Pennsylvania has opened–it is the first American medical school for women. If
you want to break all social barriers, the profession of a doctor is also an option. The principles of
Victorian modesty do not allow male doctors to see female patients nude, which is all the more
reason why female doctors are being welcomed.
If you chose mostly C’s – Working in a factory is ideal for you. Especially if you are a young,
unmarried farm girl, this ten hour work day could be the career for you. You can earn your own
support without relying on your family and save for your future marriage. Take part in the textile
mills in northern New England, which has just recently been urbanized. There are endless
positions available: opening the bales, spinning, dressing the machines, warping yarn, and
weaving the cloth. Keep in the mind that these positions require extreme concentration and
dedication–there are rarely breaks. You will also stay in boarding houses with many other young
If you chose mostly D’s – Receiving an education should be your aspiration! Many women are
denied educational opportunities every day. Nevertheless, Troy Female Seminary is the first
secondary institution for young women. It has a rigorous curriculum which will challenge the brain
of any young woman! Additionally, Mount Holyoke is the first women’s college in the United States,
and its courses are available to women of all socioeconomic levels.
If you chose mostly E’s – Social work could be your passion! Charitable organizations are
wonderful outlets to express your opinions, and they give you a reason to expand outside the
home. If you are tired of seeing wasted funds, abused wives, and ruined families due to alcoholic
fathers, then join the temperance movement. The American Temperance Society has its reformers
to use pamphlets to encourage men to take the temperance pledge. Moreover, if you think slavery
is wrong, then take part in the abolitionist movement. Lastly, if you detest gender discrimination,
the feminism movement is slowly growing. We hear that Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott
are in the works of creating a convention to advocate for the rights of women!