Kōrero: Women’s health

Domestic service, the commonest form of paid employment for women, had its own hazards. Housemaid’s knee, an inflammation caused by kneeling, was one of the best-known. Floor scrubbing, low dusting, and stove and fireplace cleaning all meant kneeling. This woman, wearing the uniform of a domestic servant, is cleaning out a coal-burning stove. It was a dirty job done daily in most households.