changing status of women

what did the representation of the people act do for women?

gave them the right to vote if; they were married, they were on a local government register or a graduate → only educated ‘respectable’ women could vote (made up 43% of electorate)

why didn’t all women get the right to vote in the 1918 ROPA?

because many men died at war they would have a far larger political voice

what employment opportunities did women gain in ww1?

considerable gains as entire population was mobilised for war work - women worked as auxiliaries drivers, telephonists, signallers and nurses

during the war how many women were in industrial work?

200,000 in metals and chemicals (1914) and 11,000 in a gretna factory

what was employment like for women after ww1?

many were kicked out of jobs as men returned → dilution agreements

what were dilution agreements?

unions signed agreements that semi skilled workers would only retain jobs whilst war was on ad the workers would not be paid higher than the person they were filling in for

how did dillution agreements affect women?

number of employed women returned to 1914 level - 5.7 mill

in 1918 where were most women employed?

service industry - maid, cook, cleaner → 1.25 million and the work was unpopular

in 1920s what was employment like for women?

clear gender roles, 1 million as typists and clerks → only other opportunities were in light manufacturing

2/3 of all work was done from home

what sex disqualification act 1919?

prevented women from being barred from becoming a lawyer or civil servant

what was women’s employment like in 1930?

3,000 medical practitioners, 180,000 nurses 21 architects

how much of the workforce was divorced in 1931?

84% of working women were single divorced or widowed

who was Ivy Williams?

first women to be called to the bar in 1922

what were women’s role in politics during the interwar period?

never more than 5% of bps, number of female mps peaked at 15 in 1931 → faced petty restrictions like not being allowed in commons dining room

how did Summerskill describe interwar politics

like a boys school that decided to take a couple girls

how did labour mps feel about women in the interwar period?

women should stay at home → only 9 labour mps were women

how were women in local politics during the interwar period?

by 1930 less than 30% of councillors were female

in 1944 how many women worked for the women’s land army?

80,000

where were many women employed during ww2?

munitions factories, aircraft construction, parachute packing

what was the women’s voluntary service?

supposed the civil defence forces and offered shelter/ comfort to bombing vicitms during the second world war

what non-combat roles did women have during ww2?

drivers, cooks, intelligence analysts, clerks → some women would help break codes as cryptanalysts

how did women benefits for employment during ww2?

• better paid

• acquired new skills

• reached higher positions on work

• new opportunities

what did the governments want women to do after ww2?

leave work → the government offered very little incitement to stay in work

what sort of fields did women work in after ww2?

women who decided to continue working were in primarily famine fields like; nursing, teaching, factory work and clerical work

what is a marriage bar?

forced women to leave work after marriage

when was the marriage bar removed for certain professions?

• teaching 1944

• civil service 1946

• Bank of England 1949

what did the mass observation of the 1940s and 50s note?

many women were ambivalent towards working life

what did a 1948 study find about women in work?

• a widespread desire to stop after marriage

• extra income main motivation to work

• many didn’t define themselves by their work