Women Workers in World War One and Their Changing Roles Essay Example

Consequently, they had to buy essential items such as food, clothing, and fuel because they were no longer able to produce these goods themselves. This shift represented a departure from the previous practice where households acted as hubs of industry and produced goods for their own use. Moreover, men were uneasy about the possibility of losing job opportunities to women since women were regarded as more cost-effective employees during this period.

In the 19th century, women were employed in various mechanical industries, such as power loom weaving. Additionally, they were commonly hired as domestic servants. Nevertheless, some industries, like mining, considered women unfit for the work and let them go. Gail Braybon discusses the perspectives of the middle class regarding working women during this period. They viewed all women primarily as potential mothers, so a woman earning her own money was seen as a violation of nature and went against men's protective instincts.

The welfare of the family and the effects of women and girls working in mills were significant concerns. Society believed that their work disturbed the family's natural order, as women had the responsibility of ensuring the well-being of future generations. Physically demanding occupations such as mining were seen as harmful to a woman's capacity to bear healthy children. Men were regarded as the primary providers, while women were expected to tend to their homes and children.

During this time, men were expected to earn enough money for their wives to be able to stay at home. Conversely, women often had no other option but to work out of necessity, often in low-paying jobs with unfavorable working conditions that required little skill. Many women, especially those

who were married and had limited job opportunities, found themselves filling the most undesirable and lowest-paid positions.

The primary industries that employed women during this era included domestic service, tailoring and clothing manufacturing, as well as the textile industry. However, the demand for domestic service began to decrease shortly before the war commenced.

Despite being the largest trade for women, females expressed dissatisfaction with the long working hours and lack of personal space and independence that accompanied always being available for their masters and mistresses. A total of 1,743,040 female servants were employed in domestic services compared to only 387,677 males. The clothing and tailoring sector emerged as the second most common employer of women; however, its importance was diminishing due to the increasing use of machinery. While men typically handled intricate tailoring tasks, women were given less skilled mending jobs that paid lower wages. Lastly, the textile industry ranked third in terms of employing a significant number of women.

In the pre-World War I era, the women's suffrage movement in Britain saw a rise in activity. It provided women with opportunities to gain skills and earn a decent income, even after getting married. Although they made efforts like engaging with Parliament, presenting petitions, sending delegations to the Government, and advocating for their rights in court (including resisting force-feeding), suffragettes eventually abandoned these methods and turned to more aggressive actions directed at the public.

Mrs. Pankhurst delivered a persuasive speech in 1913, encouraging suffragists to take militant action against the general public and their personal belongings. The suffrage movement was garnering considerable attention until the outbreak of war. During this period, "militancy ceased, along with various other suffrage activities.

Suffragette prisoners were unconditionally released; the NUWSS and other suffrage organizations announced their plans to utilize their extensive financial and organizational resources for relief efforts." 8 The declaration of war abruptly halted the progress of the Suffrage movement.

The groups rallied together against the war and advocated for peace. However, as it became evident that the war would prolong, the suffragists modified their position. A division arose as "the ELFS chose to carry on with their suffrage campaign as usual, while the WSPU temporarily halted both their militant actions and suffrage initiatives. The NUWSS suspended their own suffrage campaign, yet disagreed on the matter of women's involvement in pacifism". 9 Many regarded the decision to persist with suffrage efforts during times of war as unpatriotic.

The popularity of the war was increased by supporters who used various methods. The suffrage movement saw a benefit from the participation of female workers during World War One, which led to approximately five months of unemployment due to the war's beginning. Women were affected more than men as they were usually the first ones to lose their jobs, especially in industries with a large number of female employees. For instance, textile trade decreased by 43% and clothing manufacturing declined by 21% at the start of the war. Additionally, even domestic service faced challenges during this period.

Households were expected to sacrifice servants for war work, but there was not yet war work available for women at this point. Both unions and the government were highly concerned about female unemployment and made efforts to organize relief work for them. However, they were unaware that Britain would soon experience a labor shortage. As a

result, opportunities arose for women workers as industries expanded to meet the needs of the troops. Industries such as leather, hosiery, boots, kitbag production, medical dressings, and tailoring all increased their employment of women during this time.

During peacetime, women had already been performing these jobs. However, in 1915, women started taking on jobs that were typically done by men. They were employed in non-industrial roles, such as filling in for men in offices and the transportation system. As men enlisted in the war, women were increasingly employed as van drivers, window cleaners, shop assistants, and more. However, they often informally assumed the roles of their husbands, fathers, or brothers. Employers were concerned about the impact of hiring women on wages and job security.

A practice of substitution quickly became effective, leading employers and unions to accept the utilization of women in various industries. Women were extensively hired in the munitions industry, engineering, and explosives. The textile and clothing trades faced a shortage of female labor as more women found munitions work appealing. By 1917, women had also taken over men's roles in grain milling, sugar refining, brewing, building, surface mining, and shipyards. According to the Labour gazette in 1917, approximately one in three working women was 'replacing' a male worker.

Conscription was the primary cause behind this rapid expansion of women in the workforce. The following statistics show the number of employed women during wartime: In July 1914, there were 3,276,000 employed women (excluding small dressmaking establishments, domestic service workers employed by husbands). By April 1917, this figure had risen to 4,507000. Only an additional 300

The decline in women's labor growth can be explained by multiple factors,

including the scarcity of available female workers, the reemployment of soldiers, the higher wages demanded by munitions workers, the saturation of industries open to women, and the discontinuation of certain jobs that employed women. A. W. Kirkaldy's book Industry and Finance analyzed these findings. Towards the end of the war, many factories were closing or returning to their pre-war production levels, leading to the dismissal of women workers at their highest level of employment.

Women workers played an unwitting role in advancing the suffragist movement. In August 1916, Parliament introduced a bill to grant voting rights to men serving in the military. Simultaneously, there was a proposition to extend voting rights to women as well. It was argued that although women couldn't engage in combat like men, their contribution to the war effort through employment in munitions factories and assuming previously male-held roles had been invaluable. Their dedication and hard work greatly aided the prosecution of the war, earning praise from public newspapers.

Both women and servicemen should have the right to vote, according to their argument. They believe that both groups have served their country and are deserving of this right. Servicemen were granted the right to vote in 1917, while the women's suffrage movement gained more recognition and approval after the war. The conversation around women's suffrage became more optimistic post-war as activists and the public recognized that women exceeded expectations in their contributions to the war effort.

Both the press and public opinion appeared to back the idea of granting women the right to vote, recognizing that women shared qualities with men that had previously been overlooked. This shift in public opinion was credited to

the war rather than a sudden realization of the need for suffrage equality for women. In May 1917, the House of Commons received a bill called the Representation of the People Bill, which suggested giving voting privileges to eligible women who were at least 30 years old and possessed property.

The Bill granting suffrage to approximately seven million women in Britain was passed into law on February 6th, 1918. This momentous victory for the women's movement came after more than half a century of struggle. Nonetheless, Helena Swanwick argued that despite this achievement, veteran suffragettes should not overlook the fact that British women were informed in 1918 that their right to vote was granted not because of their longstanding efforts as workers and mothers or their intrinsic humanity and unique contributions to political life, but rather due to their contributions during the war. Swanwick considered this justification for granting women suffrage to be unfounded.

Nevertheless, in 1918, the women's movement accomplished a significant triumph by partially granting British women the right to vote. This success can be credited to their noteworthy contributions during World War I. Following the war, certain women resumed their traditional roles as homemakers and mothers, while others pursued careers in clerical and retail sectors. Tradeswomen mainly went back to working in domestic services, cotton, and the clothing industry since men reclaimed their positions upon returning.

Despite debates about suitable work for women, certain industries such as pottery, light metal trades, boot and shoe, printing, bookbinding, and electrical goods provided employment opportunities for female laborers. These industries became especially important for women after the war. However, discussions continued even after World War I regarding protective

measures for female workers. Some middle-class feminists opposed these regulations as they believed it impeded women's prospects.

Before and after World War One, women's lives were relatively similar. Despite technological advancements, women continued to have similar jobs. In the 1920s, there was a lot of propaganda reinforcing the idea that women should be homemakers, echoing Victorian beliefs. Although women's work had changed during the war, they returned to traditional gender roles afterward. Before WWI, women mainly worked in three industries considered appropriate for them.

In the early 20th century, single women held diverse jobs including domestic service and working in clothing, tailoring trades, and the textile industry. Concurrently, a significant women's suffrage movement arose. Nevertheless, when World War One began, attention swiftly shifted from women's rights to war-related concerns. Initially, Britain experienced temporary unemployment as men were called for military duty, but it soon turned into a labor shortage.

In World War One, women workers courageously filled in for men and took on non-traditional jobs. These positions were initially meant to be temporary until the men returned from war but proved instrumental in advancing the women's suffrage movement and securing voting rights for women. Historians often credit World War One with accelerating changes in traditional gender roles.