Chowan's Best: Women, Labor, And Change In The Bertie County Herring Industry

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Heather White (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the role of female labor in the declining\r\nherring industry in Bertie County, North Carolina during the later twentieth century. This\r\npaper argues that women's changing work patterns contributed to the decline of the local\r\nherring industry. Operating in the early spring months and for only short durations, the\r\nherring industry utilized the work of women who were otherwise idle during slow periods\r\nof agriculture. The supplemental work provided much needed income to already\r\nstruggling families. Women provided the mobile labor force that supplied labor to\r\nseasonal industries, such as the fishery. Chapter one addresses the role of agricultural\r\nmechanization in the decline of seasonal labor. Chapter two considers the function of race\r\nrelations and civil rights that create new opportunities for African American women.\r\nChapter three assesses the influx of industrialization that provides new possibilities for\r\nwomen in the region. As race, class, and gender intersect each influence the labor source\r\navailable to the herring industry, therefore, contributing greatly to its decline.

Additional Information

Publication

Thesis

Language: English

Date: 2023

Subjects

Herring industry;North Carolina;Bertie County;Women employees;Agricultural mechanization;Civil rights;Industrialization

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