Female participation in the workforce was not, of course, a phenomenon of this period. Women have always worked, both inside the house and outside (in farming, in home handicrafs, etc.).

With the expansion of capitalist relations of production, female labour was defined in terms of its being part of salaried activities, whereas the traditional role of women inside the house did not integrate them into the active, working population.
As the population census conducted at the beginning of the twentieth century testifies, the number of women in salaried posts steadily increased. Professions such as teaching and serving continued to prevail, but the same time the participation of women began to be felt in other sectors of economy such as services and industry. Women who entered this latter sector were usually young, unskilled workers who stayed but a short time in the workforce and whose salary was very low in comparison with those of men; in fact their wages were half those of men.
Thus, women's entrance into the workforce was determined and limited by the social and cultural context of the period, while at the same time it was considered a remarkable step towards their emancipation.