Women Before, During and After World War One

Women Before, During and After World War One

1.

Pre war women did have working opportunities though very little

compared to men, as they were seen as weaker and that their place was

in the "home". Their employment was limited to the domestic service

(cleaning or working as a servant) and secretarial work and not manual

labour in factories or working class women often worked in the

textiles industry. Women were lower paid and were restricted to do

less skilled work, as they were considered incompetent. Working class

women also worked in the "sweated" trades producing hats and

constructing dresses. Since 1880's new technology such as telephone's

and typewriters changed women's jobs as women were used to type and

answer the phone's. Some middle class women had professions such as

teachers, as in Scotland 60% of teachers were women and they even

became doctors due to many middle class women having an education,

though these occupations were frowned on by many. At this time around

29% of women were in some kind of employment. Women were expected to

run the home and wear long skirts and not to do things that men did

e.g. smoke and drink this shows that, people's view of women and how

they were meant to behave influenced their employment opportunities.

2.

By 1915 war had broken out and many men had gone to fight, and this

was the first time women had been given the chance to do manual

labour. At the out break of war only volunteers left for war and many

men were left to still do the work and women were could only knit

garments for the troops and fund raise to help the war effort. On 17th

July 1915 Christabel Pankhurst organised...

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...iewed themselves. Pre war women were

regarded as second class citizens by many; they were seen as weak

compared to men. Some women protested (the suffragettes) to change the

way men regarded them and for the right to vote. During the war women

became increasingly important to the war effort due to the mass of

volunteers of men and later conscription to the armed forces. By the

end of the war the men came home and things took a backward step

though some progress was made. In 1919 the government passed the " sex

disqualification act, allowing women into a number of professions;

barristers, solicitors, auctioneers, surveyors, architects, judges and

serve on a jury which were forbidden for women to do before the war.

Women now believed that they could and should be able to do what men

do and were not second class citizens.