Machine derived contents note: Abbreviations -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Part I. Before The Wages Boards: Introduction -- 1. 'The advent of machines and women': the clothing industries 1880-1896 -- 2. 'An age of grim adversity': the boot industry 1880-1896 -- 3. Drawing the Line: the printing industries 1880-1900 -- Part II. The Wages Board Era: Introduction -- 4. 'No more Amazons': the clothing industries, 1897-1919 -- 5. The workers baffled: the boot industry, 1897-1910 -- 6. Educating the girls: the printing industries, 1901-1925 -- Part III. The Era Of Federal Wage Fixing: Introduction -- 7. Diplomacy and guerilla warefare: the clothing industries, 1919-1939 -- 8. The Cinderella of the skilled trades: the boot industry, 1911-1939 -- 9. Marginal matters: The printing industry, 1925-1937 -- Conclusion -- Bibliography