[quote=@Ruby]
How limited are female characters gonna be?
[/quote]

They can be members of the combination in some way. You don't need to be an elected official, or even have the ability, to help corral voters and do shady stuff. The labor movement is just starting and in an industrial city, plenty of women are involved in labor. In addition, this is the time of the suffrage and temperance movements and a character affiliated with either movement could be a real thorn in the side of the combination.