Being careful not to overstate the role of the typewriter in women’s liberation — the typewriter did not single-handedly advance the cause of women’s rights — it did prove instrumental. With income came freedom, and many women employed the typewriter to gain financial independence.
“I am not working simply to gratify a whim,” said Jennie Wehle in 1888, “nor am I doing it simply for the sake of the experience, for I intend to continue permanently at it. I consider I have two very good reasons. First, I love my work; and, secondly, I love to be independent. I believe every girl gifted with brains should employ them the way nature intended.”
More about Wehle can be found here.
The impact of the typewriter on women’s rights was well-understood in its time, as evidenced by the following article:
T.P.’s Weekly (London), December 11, 1903 –
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