Labor History in 2

Charlotte Perkins Gilman Born

On this day in labor history, 1860, Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born, a name every working person should know. Gilman’s life was shaped by hardship, abandoned by her father, her family was plunged into poverty, forcing them to move constantly and scraping by on the edge. As a child, she found refuge in public libraries, but her education suffered, and she saw firsthand how economic instability devastates families.

What sets Gilman apart is how she turned her struggle into a lifelong fight for women’s economic independence. She argued that true freedom for women and by extension, for working families could never be achieved as long as women were financially dependent on men. Her landmark book, Women and Economics, published in 1898, made waves by demanding that domestic work be recognized and professionalized, and that women be encouraged and supported to work outside the home. Gilman’s ideas were radical for her time, but they laid the groundwork for the labor and feminist movements that followed.

For those of us on the shop floor or juggling multiple jobs, Gilman’s message still hits home. Today, millions of working-class women are the backbone of their families, yet still face pay gaps, job insecurity, and the expectation to shoulder unpaid domestic work. Gilman’s vision that economic independence is the key to dignity and equality remains just as urgent now, as politicians threaten to roll back hard-won rights and social safety nets.

Gilman’s legacy is complex. While she fought for economic justice and women’s rights, her views on race were deeply flawed and rooted in the prejudices of her time. We can’t ignore that. But her core message that no one should be trapped by poverty or dependence reminds us why labor history matters. In a moment when the working class is under attack, remembering Gilman’s fight for economic independence helps us imagine a future where every worker, regardless of gender, has a fair shot at security and respect.