In 1893, sixty years after the creation of the British Factory Inspectorate, two women were appointed as inspectors. By 1914 they accounted for only one tenth of the staff but were the recipients of nearly one third of the complaints. In 1922 Adelaide Anderson, having just retired from the position of Principal Lady Inspector of Factories, gave a celebratory account of the achievements of the women’s branch in a book entitled Women in the Factory; an Administrative Adventure, 1893 to 1921. In particular, she claimed that child labour had been “a subject of special appeal” to women inspectors. This paper will discuss the extent to which the plight of the children employed in industrial work in England was therefore alleviated by their endeavours. Did women inspectors question prevalent standards of humanitarianism regarding child labour? Were they instrumental in widening the scope of social action in that field ? If yes, how far and with what results? Is there such a thing as a female perspective on child labour? To answer these questions, I will rely on the systematic examination of the annual reports of the inspectors of factories from the late 1860s to the eve of the Great War, focusing on the ways in which they addressed the issue of child labour, both before and after 1893. Furthermore, the insight contained in these reports as well as the language used to refer to child workers will be analysed in the light of the contemporary developments of the child labour debate and legislation.