author
Theresa Schmid McMahon
1878–1961
A pioneering economist and social critic, she explored how industrial change reshaped women’s lives and opportunities. Her writing connects scholarship with a clear concern for labor rights, education, and social reform.
1 Audiobook
Women and economic evolution: or, The effects of industrial changes upon the status of women
by Theresa Schmid McMahon
About the author
Born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1878, she grew up on Mercer Island and went on to study at the University of Washington before earning a PhD in sociology at the University of Wisconsin. She later taught economics at the University of Washington for many years and became known as a strong-minded public intellectual as well as a dedicated teacher.
Her best-known book, Women and Economic Evolution (1912), examined how industrialization affected the status of women. Across her work and public life, she focused on labor conditions, women’s economic independence, and the larger social consequences of modern industry.
She died in Seattle in 1961, but her work still stands out for the way it brings together economics, history, and a practical concern for justice. Readers interested in early feminist thought, labor history, or the social meaning of economic change will find her especially rewarding.