In Chapter four, Foner focuses more on immigrant women’s place in the workforce.  One of the things that stuck out to me was the fact that despite the improvements in the lives of immigrant working women there are still many inequalities.  It is great that now more and more immigrant women have more education and training that those of the past.  Now, there are more opportunities for women in education and employment, and they are more able to manage on their own.  This is inspiring because immigrant women and their daughters can now aspire to higher careers.  Unfortunately, there is still gender inequality in the United States.  Many women still work in very low-status jobs or receive less pay than men.  Women are also dealing with more household duties than the men in their families.

Another aspect I found interesting was the fact that immigrant daughters were expected to go out and earn a living in often debilitating factory conditions.  Although it may have expanded their horizons, Foner points out that wages were low and their work was often dangerous.  One particular aspect of working daughters that stuck out was the fact that their pay contributed largely to the family’s income.  Foner states that Jewish daughters brought in about 40 percent of the household income, while Italian daughters brought in a bit less.  This goes along with the fact that many of them gave all of their pay to their parents.  Some immigrant daughters had to work to pay off their brothers’ education.  Reading what some of these daughters went through makes me even more appreciative of my opportunities in education in this time period.