physical labour generally devolved upon the female, so under modern
civilised conditions among the wealthier and fully civilised classes, an
unduly excessive share of labour tends to devolve upon the male. That
almost entirely modern, morbid condition, affecting brain and nervous
system, and shortening the lives of thousands in modern civilised
societies, which is vulgarly known as "overwork" or "nervous breakdown," is
but one evidence of the even excessive share of mental toil devolving upon
the modern male of the cultured classes, who, in addition to maintaining
himself, has frequently dependent upon him a larger or smaller number of
entirely parasitic females. But, whatever the result of the changes of
modern civilisation may be with regard to the male, he certainly cannot
complain that they have as a whole robbed him of his fields of labour,
diminished his share in the conduct of life, or reduced him to a condition
of morbid inactivity.

In our woman's field of labour, matters have tended to shape themselves
wholly otherwise! The changes which have taken place during the last
centuries, and which we sum up under the compendious term "modern
civilisation," have tended to rob woman, not merely in part but almost
wholly, of the more valuable of her ancient domain of productive and social
labour; and, where there has not been a determined and conscious resistance
on her part, have nowhere spontaneously tended to open out to her new and
compensatory fields.

It is this fact which constitutes our modern "Woman's Labour Problem."

Our spinning-wheels are all broken; in a thousand huge buildings steam-
driven looms, guided by a few hundred thousands of hands (often those of
men), produce the clothings of half the world; and we dare no longer say,
proudly, as of old, that we and we alone clothe our peoples.