corner store, through the social-athletic club, and eventually to the formal structure of church and political party. (p. 13)
One of the most interesting features relative to the upward economic ability of Back of the Yards families was a woman's work outside the home. It is interesting to note that, although the community preferred that women not work outside the home, it gave tacit approval to such work. In such a manner, women enabled the family not only to survive, but also to prosper. The community preferred that its working women be single, either in route to a stable marriage, or widowed. In reality, though, many married women with families went back to work. Upward mobility was important to the Slavic workers, at least as important as a stable family life. It was up to the women to provide both (Slayton, 1986, p. 81).
Another way in which the workers could climb the economic ladder was to graduate from high school. Frequently, a high school diploma meant a job "downtown," or
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