This work investigates the systemic economic and social factors that confined women to clerical roles, effectively creating a 'ghetto' within the modern office environment. Mary Kathleen Benét utilizes historical analysis and sociological observation to argue that the secretarial profession was constructed as a gendered labor category, designed to maintain patriarchal structures within the corporate hierarchy. By examining the evolution of office work, the author demonstrates how administrative tasks were devalued as they became synonymous with female labor.

Scholars in labor history and gender studies frequently cite this text as a foundational critique of the feminization of clerical work. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous examination of institutionalized workplace inequality.