On Strike, or, Where do the Girls come in?
About This Book
The narrative follows Reginald Oofbourne, a wealthy young man who, after his fiancée dies in a riding accident, dedicates his fortune to aiding women. He travels as a benefactor and arrives in Sydney during a maritime strike, where he observes shopgirls suffering long hours, low wages, and prohibition from sitting. Responding with organized philanthropy, he funds and leads a large girls' strike that unsettles employers and the public, prompting debates about labor, gendered work, respectability, and the limits of charitable intervention amid social and economic tensions.