ABSTRACT
Although slavery was officially abolished after the Civil War, a different form of "coerced labor" in the form of sharecropping developed, resembling in many aspects the former system. Agriculture with the emphasis on cotton cultivation was still predominant, which provided the developing textile industry with the necessary raw materials. Until recently, little research has been done concerning the issue of women and work in the South. Due to the concentration of blacks in the South, racial segregation was the main factor in determining employment possibilities for women, further limiting the already narrow choices posed by agriculture or the textile industry. A division of labor along gender lines put a "double burden" on women, making them responsible for the household, child care, and working in the fields or textile mills.
