author
Adelaide Mary Anderson
A pioneering factory inspector and reformer, she spent decades pushing for better working conditions for women and children. Her writing brings together public service, social concern, and a close view of industrial life in Britain.
1 Audiobook
Women in the factory : an administrative adventure, 1893 to 1921
by Adelaide Mary Anderson
About the author
Born in Melbourne in 1863 and raised in London, Adelaide Mary Anderson studied at Queen’s College and Girton College, Cambridge. She went on to become one of Britain’s most important women civil servants, serving in the factory inspectorate and later as HM Principal Lady Inspector of Factories.
Anderson was closely associated with labor reform, especially the welfare of women and children at work. Sources describe her as a civil servant and labor activist with a particular interest in child labor and working conditions, including conditions in China. Her long experience in inspection and administration fed directly into her writing.
She is best remembered in literary terms for Women in the Factory: An Administrative Adventure, 1893 to 1921, a firsthand account of industrial regulation and social reform. Awarded the DBE, she left behind both a historical record of factory life and an example of determined public service.