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‘Women at Work’ exhibit looks at challenges, expectations for local women

By Kelcey Norris Mahoning Matters

September 18, 2023 4:00 AM

Women at Work grand opening; interviews conducted by museum site manager Marcelle Wilson and director of education and outreach Nicole Marino at the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor. Kelcey Norris Mahoning Matters

This week, the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor opened its doors to celebrate a new exhibit on display called Women At Work.

Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor staff members sat down with volunteers for interviews.

The interviews were done by archivist Susan Lowery, director of education and outreach Nicole Marino and museum site manager Marcelle Wilson.

They unveiled the oral history exhibit with testimonies of women living and working in the Mahoning Valley from the 1940s through the 2010s.

The exhibition delves into challenges and expectations for women in the workplace and how they have changed for women and men over time.

You can listen to the Women at Work interviews on the second floor of the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, which houses the museum’s archives.

Oral history of Women at Work: Change in Continuity

At the exhibit’s grand opening, the three women shared what they gleaned from the interviews with women working in nursing, trades, education, law enforcement and many more fields.

“’ Women at Work: Change in Continuity 1940s through the 2010s’ started out as a project that we designed from some of the challenges that we saw cropping up during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with workers,” said Wilson. “As a historian, what we found made me think of the challenges that workers have always faced, perhaps more than half a century and those challenges are especially daunting for women workers. A lot of the challenges or problems that have come up and been discussed often are not new, or unique, and they’re really not isolated just to women workers. Our findings were eye-opening, for many reasons; we found the same problems cited again and again, over the generations conditions change for many challenges persisted while re emerged in new ways, women in discrimination, low rates of pay inequality, typicality, about home life balance, and affordable quality childcare. That was one of the main issues that was emphasized during the pandemic.”

A major focus in the conversations was how men and women divided home responsibilities and figured out childcare. Women thrived in jobs typically occupied by men and proudly shared their memories of “doing it all.”

What was work like for women in steel mills?

Marino emphasized how the positive perspectives in the interviews felt encouraging for the future of equality in the workplace and at home.

“Many of the women, particularly those in the steel mill, talked about how much it felt like a family,” said Marino. “A lot of the women in the trades told me how it was like a family. You became close to these people, relied on them and it was just emotionally tight to be there...But you as a worker is not you as a mom. Learning about who these women are as people was delightful to me, I enjoyed every interview I did. I got to meet somebody new, and for those of you who are willing to give us these stories, I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it. It’s wonderful to learn and compile and share these stories, and who knows where it’ll go? But this was a really excellent project for us.”

Exhibit sponsors include the Charles Darling Endowed Faculty Chair in American Social History, the Vivo Center, Women’s Studies and Center for Work Class Studies programs at Youngstown State University.

Downtown Merchant’s Lecture Series

The Women at Work exhibit unveiling kicks off the Downtown Merchant’s Lecture Series.

Here’s what’s coming up this year at the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor:

Sept. 28, 5:30 p.m. Train Work in the Mills: the Jim Marter Railroad Museum, presented by Carl Jacobson
Oct. 13, 5 p.m. Canals and Industry: Listen to Jacob Harver’s story about biking the canals of Northeast Ohio’s industrial landscape
Nov. 10, 6 p.m.: Guest speaker Sherry Linkon discusses the future of working women and labor. Linkon is a professor of American literature and culture, working-class studies and writing studies at Georgetown
Nov. 16, 5:30 p.m.: Allison Bye presents her work for Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor and how it helped her position in the Youngstown State University Alumni Office
Dec. 8, 5 p.m.: Jonathan Cambouris recounts his experience at Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor and his newest role as president of the Hellenic Preservation Society

Visit the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor for the full list of lectures in 2023-2024.