Female Workers In The First World War Essay

Firstly, at the start of the 20th century, the effects of World War I inadvertently gave British women, such as Mary Russell from The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, a stronger role in society and allowed for them to work jobs originally exclusive to men. This is supported by White, who recorded in his “Remembrance, Retrospection, and the Women’s Land Army in World War I Britain” that, according to interviews held with female workers at the time, the “voluntary removal or men from the domestic workforce … [brought] women to Britain’s farms” (White 165). In general, the effects of the devastating war crippled Britain’s workforce, as many men had to vacate their jobs to serve their country. Due to this scarcity of workers, major companies resorted to

Although the people of Britain may have discouraged Mary from working in the criminal field of work in previous time periods, the characters in the novel seem to be indifferent towards Mary’s gender during her work, and this is largely due to Britain’s culture and society adapting to be more supportive of female workers due to the shortage of male workers. In addition, Britain’s societal transformation augmented women’s role in society, and according to Braybon in “Women Workers in The First World War,” “a completely different pattern of life was established … for women” and British society’s “prevailing perspectives towards women [were] as workers” (Braybon 16). Additionally, the newfangled life offered to women presented most women with an enormous surge in recognition throughout society, as women gained respect after they became the backbone of the production of nearly all British goods. Concurrently, King underscores this increase in respect for women in the novel through the thoughts of the character Sherlock Holmes, Mary’s superior and mentor, who believes that one would be “something of a fool if [they were] to discount [another’s] talents merely because of [gender]” (King