Did Maine Law Require Businesses to Supply Women with Chairs?

Some jobs you sit, some you don't.

In my years previous to radio, I was in food service. In that industry, you're on your feet all day. No matter what position you have. Whether you're a server or a cook, you're on your feet all day, every day. It's just part of the gig. To be fair, I'm pretty sure all the back and foot problems I have now can basically be attributed to years of standing.

It's not just in restaurants either. Cashiers stand all day, and retail workers of all types are often up on their feet making it happen as well. It makes no difference what type of job it is, if you're always upright, those few minutes here and there that you get to take a load off are like pure gold. But once upon a time, there were always chairs around. But not for everybody...

In 1911, Maine passed a law saying all women needed a place to sit.

Now, when I say "place to sit," women were to be provided a stool or chair to be near them at all times so they could take a quick rest when not actively working. I'm assuming men already had cushy jobs that provided them chairs, or the general consensus was that women needed it more than men? The Reddit thread I initially saw this on showed some businesses still offer seats. But not just for women.

Now, businesses back then that failed to meet this requirement actually faced real consequences for their lack of action. A business could be fined anywhere from $10 to $100, depending on the extremity of the violation. The law was eventually repealed, but not until 1975.

I'm not here to dive into an equality debate. I think anyone should have a chair that needs it. Nor do I wish to condescend to anyone that they should have a chair. And honestly, most women I've worked with outwork the men ten times over. There was a time when I would've killed for a chair, now I just really need to get my fat a$$ up out of the chair and move!