In Morocco today, the idea of female laborers is generally frowned upon. Yet despite this, many women are beginning to find work in factories.

Laetitia Cairoli spent a year in the ancient city of Fes; Girls of the Factory tells the story of what life is like for working women. Forced to find a factory job herself so that she could speak more intimately with working women, she was able to learn firsthand why they work, what working means to them, and how important earning a wage is to their sense of self.

Cairoli conveys a general sense of the working life of women in...