Vintage photos show how the role of women in the workforce has evolved in the last 100 years

From factory floors to corner offices, women's roles in the workplace have undergone many reinventions over the past century.

By the 1920s, decades of industrialization had drawn growing numbers of women into the workforce.

Then, as men were sent off to war, more women entered the wartime effort in factories and other professions previously dominated by men.

Women's equality movements throughout the 1960s and 1970s gave working women more opportunities, and in recent years, the gap between men and women in the workforce has been closing, according to data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

These vintage photos show how women's roles in the workforce have evolved over the last 100 years.

In the wake of the Industrial Revolution, more women than ever began to leave the household and go out to work.

Jobs commonly held by women included postal clerks, who sorted letters and packages. While it wasn't uncommon for women to work in post offices, very few women actually delivered mail.

The US Postal Service reported that in 1920, only 5% of the nation's 943 village carriers were women. 

As local postal delivery was gradually phased out in favor of larger city delivery, most of the remaining women village carriers either resigned or were transferred to clerk positions.

The US Department of Labor reported that in 1920, women made up about 20% of the labor force, an increase from previous generations.

Many of them were involved in the production and manufacturing of clothing, food products, and tobacco products.

Women of color, on the other hand, were largely employed in agriculture and domestic service work for much of the early 20th century.