Young Women from the Girls Dormitory at Cherbourg c1960

Girls living in the dormitory were strictly segregated from the rest of the settlement. When they were fourteen they were sent out to work as domestic servants. On return from work they were re-housed in the dormitory
Courtship was permitted but only where it could be carefully monitored. Marriage was a means of escaping the dormitory system. Once a couple decided to marry, they had to get permission from the superintendent.
“Each afternoon at five o’clock the girls were brought by the police to an area in front of the girls’ dormitory. Single fellows would come from the settlement and meet the girls. Courtship was under the strict supervision of the police for about half an hour.”
— Darcy Cummins, 1988 interview