I have a question about understanding the lives of some of my ancestors, and when I have a question, I always come to this forum and get helpful answers, so I'm hoping someone can help here too please.
I have been researching my grandmother's family (she was adopted) and have had success identifying her grandmother, as discussed
here on this forum. I am now trying to understand the lives lived by her mother and siblings in Melbourne, Australia in the early 1900s.
My grandmother's mother was Mary McDonald (born 1871). Her parents were Allan McDonald and Annie Foster, who had 11 children between 1871 and 1888. (She was a real pioneering woman!!) Eight of these were women and five of them never married (as far as I can find out).
I decided I wanted to understand their lives a little, so have constructed a timeline of them based on electoral rolls over the period 1903-1953. They all were born and grew up in the country not far from Melbourne, and after Allan died in 1891, when they were aged 3-19, they and their mother Annie seem to have gradually moved to the city.
Some of the unmarried women were recorded as having occupations (machinist, dressmaker, nurse), but sometimes they were recorded as "home duties" and some (including my great grandmother Mary) seem to always have their occupation as "home duties".
Obviously I understand that married women rarely had occupations in those days - they were having children, sewing, knitting, cooking, etc, all of which could be described as "home duties".
But I'm wondering how this applied to unmarried women. How did they support themselves? Was "home duties" just a general term used if nothing else was given? Did it cover working as a housemaid, cook or nanny for another family?
I'd be interested in any insights anyone has please. Thanks.