When the Girls Move in: A Sociological Analysis of the Feminization of the Bank Teller's Job

Historically until the 20th century, American banks and related fields of finance, trade, commerce were almost exclusively men's domains. During the 19th and early 20th century in the United States, banks catered only to men and an innovation in banking was heralded when banks began soliciting the business of female customers by providing separate ladies' entrances, establishing special cashiering windows to handle the business of the fairer sex and by creating special ladies' retiring rooms (Bankers Magazine, 1910:65; Sawyer, 1923). Men handled financial matters because it was assumed that women were not interested in such activities and furthermore women's minds were incapable of and unaccustomed to what was referred to as, doing figuring and making financial transactions. Since early medium of exchanges included heavy gold and silver commodities as well as currency, women were presumably unable to handle such heavy items. Moreover, large posting and accounting books used in banking were presumed difficult for women to lift. (For discussion of early bankers, See Uhl, 1968). Thus, historically in the U.S. there emerged the tradition that banking was a man's occupation and that women mentally and physically were inadequately equipped to handle the transactions of high finance.