Life in the Iron Mills

Throughout Life in the Iron Mills, there was a focus on women's issues and the injustice of the labor force in the 19th century. I thought it was especially difficult to tell if the narrator was a man or woman. I was unsure if it mattered. Also, it was interesting to find out that Hugh Wolfe was the sculptor of the 'korl statue,' admired by Kirby and Doctor May. After Hugh explained that the statue symbolized a women that is hungry, displaying one of the main themes of the story, I was curious if the statue was meant to  represent Deborah. I found the short story hard to understand, but was ultimately curious if the narrator was a man or woman?