A Slovak woman and America - Marta Dobrotková

In the first phase of emigration (1880s) men were migrating first and then they were followed by women. It is interesting that since the men crossed the Atlantic several times in a row they were given a wonderful nickname – ‘the birds of the sea’. Following these emigrants, young women who could not find a life partner at home and married women following their husbands were coming. Like men, women belonged to different social groups too. Wives of evangelical priests, traders, and some representatives of associations and organizations belonged to intellectual groups. Except the middle classes, such as merchants and craftsmen, most of the expatriates can be classified as based in lowest social layers. These were miners, steel workers and auxiliaries.