Irish Women In America

numerous jobs for those of varying skill sets and in a multitude of industries. Most Irish men found job security harder to come by, whereas Irish women found domestic servitude to be a preferable field of work to work in factories or sweat shops. Although most Irish Americans were not able to go, “from rags to riches,” as popularized in the stories of Horatio Alger, it was not impossible for the Irish to climb the socio-economic ladder as they were often able to over generations. In rarer cases, some Irish found great success such as William Grace, (the first elected Irish Catholic mayor of New York City in 1880 and 1884). It was not uncommon, however, for people of such a socio-economic position within the Irish community or even those of

In comparison to German immigrants, the Irish fared better in every city, and especially in San Francisco. Second generation Irish men found themselves at a higher social and working class, but second generation Irish women did not see such a change. Women eventually accounted for half of the Irish immigrant population in the U.S. by the end of the nineteenth century, and most of them were young and single. Marriage rates in the U.S. were higher compared to those in Ireland, but Irish women in America were seen as strong, aggressive, capable of providing for themselves, and as opportunity seekers. Although many Irish women in America appeared to have many more freedoms than those in Ireland, they did face setbacks as well as work in the domestic service industry was often tainted with sexual harassment and other such issues, despite its seemingly safe and secure appearance.

Many Irish men living in America before the end of the Civil War, along with many others, were drafted into the Union Army. Roughly 145,000 Irish Catholics served during the time, but many of their experiences failed to be documented. It was found, however, that there was an Irish Brigade. Additionally, that although Catholicism of the Irish sometimes lapsed, the ethnic Catholicism did not, (R. Miller, 273). The Irish involvement with the War not only contributed to the stereotype about the Irish being inherently violent by nature, but also to the coined term ‘the fighting