Kay Hively: Working in a cottage industry

Cottage industries. How long has it been since you heard that phrase? Or have you ever heard it?

Years ago that phrase was commonly used to describe people (usually women) who worked at home. These women made clothes or did alterations for people, took in ironing, did baby setting, rented out rooms, cooked or baked for others, sewed curtains, gave music lessons and dozens of other things.

Many people once thought that with the rise of cottage industries, women would soon be working as much as men. This seemed to be the ideal outlet for women to work.

It was felt that housewives could stay at home, mind the children, do their housework and make money. Even with the smaller pay, it was believed that these women wouldn’t need extra clothes for work, they wouldn’t need a car or have to buy gasoline and have flexible hours.

But cottage industries did not become a big part of American life. Women wanted to go to college and have “real” careers. Those who took advantage of working at home didn’t make an issue of it, so the phrase practically disappeared.

While many women continued giving piano lessons and making curtains, most worked without the label of cottage industry.

I recently saw a couple of women on television who have started a company that has women who work at home making leather purses. These two women hire wives of service men to

work in a company that is named after Rosie the Riveter, the symbol of working women in World War II.

The founders wanted to help women who, being military wives, often have to move every year or so, making it hard for them to keep a “regular” job. The founders also want to give opportunities to women who live in places outside metropolitan areas, and they say the company is doing so well they need more women to meet the demand.

Today, I think the cottage industry is more of a “computer industry,” as many people work at home and do it on a computer. But this industry has both men and women in their ranks so the image of a housewife making a little extra money no longer fits.

I have spent most of my life working at home, so I guess that makes me a worker in a cottage industry.

But just between you and me, I have enjoyed all these years and wouldn’t have traded jobs with anyone.

(Kay Hively is a historian, author and former editor, reporter and columnist for the Neosho Daily News and Neosho Post.)