100 professions for women

About this book

100 professions for women by Betty Van Deventer is a concise career guide written in the early 20th century, during the interwar era. The book outlines one hundred occupations open to women, summarizing duties, training paths, work settings, and typical pay, while making a clear case for women’s economic independence.

The book opens by contrasting prewar expectations with a modern push for self-support, then proceeds through 100 brief entries spanning business, finance, law, medicine, science, education, social services, arts and media, retail and fashion, hospitality, skilled trades, and travel. Each entry sketches how to enter the field, desired traits, advancement prospects, and sample salaries, with frequent notes on where women’s perspective helps (buying, advertising, interior decoration, home economics, credit management) and where bias or pay gaps persist. It highlights entrepreneurial avenues, part-time or seasonal roles, and the value of specialization, and concludes by urging readers to get solid training, seek advice, and choose work that fits their abilities and local opportunities.