[book cover] The Woman Worker: 1926-1929

The Woman Worker 1926-1929

edited by Margaret Hobbs and Joan Sangster

This volume presents the inaugural issue and articles from The Woman Worker, the official newspaper of the Canadian Federation of Women’s Labor Leagues, during its 1926 to 1929 run. Edited by prominent Communist Party of Canada leader Florence Custance, The Woman Worker’s objective was to “champion the Protection of Womanhood, and the cause of the Workers generally.” In this collection, Hobbs and Sangster have provided an introductory chapter examining the evolution The Woman Worker, its editor Florence Custance, the Communist-led Women’s Labor Leagues, and, more generally, the socio-economic and political context of the mid to late 1920s. Each chapter includes an introduction and suggestions for further reading.

Chapters include women and wage work, protective legislation, feminism and social reform, peace and war, women and the sex trade, marriage, the family and domestic labour, and the local Women’s Labor Leagues at work.

Table of Contents

  1. Acknowledgements
  2. Editorial Note
  3. Introduction
  4. Reprint: The Woman Worker, vol. 1, no. 1 (July 1926)
  5. Chapter 1. Women, Wage Work and the Labour Movement
  6. Chapter 2.Protective Legislation
  7. Chapter 3. Feminism and Social Reform
  8. Chapter 4. Peace and War
  9. Chapter 5. Women and the Sex Trade
  10. Chapter 6. Marriage, the Family, and Domestic Labour
  11. Chapter 7. Birth Control and Abortion
  12. Chapter 8. Solidarity: National and International
  13. Chapter 9. The Local Women’s Labor Leagues at Work