In source D we are told that women became victims of hostility and sabotage and that they were restricted to less skilled work. Source G contradicts this and says that men and women were friends. If this was so then males would not try to sabotage women’s work and act in an unwelcoming manner towards the female employees. I think source G tried to keep the public calm and so by printing this article they writer could attempt to show that everything in the factories was still running smoothly and try to keep morale high. If they had told the public about the goings on in certain factories then they may have felt that they were tempting fate and that was the last thing this country needed when fighting a war. In this instance source D could tell the whole story as the war is long over and so it would make no difference now what the attitudes of men towards women were as we had won the war.
2.
Source F could have been taken for many reasons. It could have been to advertise a new bus service. This is unlikely as the picture does not even show the full name of the street which the bus runs to or from so it would not be a very good advertisement.
It could have been used by the bus companies to show job satisfaction when working for them. This could be true but if a certain company was going to portray this then it would have been appropriate to put in the name of the bus company otherwise they could have been advertising any bus service and so attracting attention to other rival companies.
This picture could have been taken by a modelling agency to show off a new uniform. I do not think this is likely to be true as this is hardly a desirable uniform that women would want to been seen in.
This photo could have been taken by a tourist who wanted to show their friends back home how different our culture is to theirs. This is very unlikely as there would not be many tourists to Britain while a war was going on. Also, there was hardly a tourist industry at all in the early 1900’s so it would have been highly improbable.
Advertising Iron Jelloids would have been a good reason to take this photograph but I do not think this could be true as it would make this source totally irrelevant to the rest of the sources.
I feel the most convincing reason this photograph was taken was for propaganda reasons. It portrays women as able to do the work which men had once done and shows that there is very little difference between a male bus conductor and a female one. Even the uniform is the same. It does not look like the woman is unable to do this job as she has a smile on her face and looks content with her job. Of course, if this photograph was taken for propaganda reasons it would have probably been staged to emphasise this feeling.
3.
Source A suggests that the war did prove to be a great leap forward for British women as this picture portrays men and women as equals. This was not the case before the war but the picture shows that now both men and women are participating in the war effort. The woman in the picture is dressed in trousers, flat heeled shoes and an over coat which would be the normal attire of a man at work in a factory. This is appropriate as during the war many thousands of women were drafted in to keep the munitions factories running throughout the war and help with the British war effort. This shows that she has taken over the man’s role and even wears his clothes.
Source B also greatly suggests that the war helped the position of women as it says that as a reward for all their hard work women over thirty gained the right to vote. This was soon introduced to all women over twenty one as well. Before the war it would have been inconceivable that a woman should be able to vote but source B clearly outlines one of the most important changes to the society of Britain.
Source C shows that the attitudes of women towards other men had changed greatly as well. Rather than being brushed aside by men they were now prepared to stand up for what they believed in and voice their opinions as loudly as possibly. Source C shows the “great leap forward” very clearly. Before the war campaigning women’s rights groups (suffragettes) were demonstrating in order to receive the vote. One way of getting noticed they found very effective was to spit at policemen in order to get arrested. This shows that the perception of women had greatly changed during the war as in Source C we are told of “policewomen” acting as “strike-beaters” where as before the war it would have been inconceivable to have women working as police officers.
Source D explains how women took over the roles of men and how attitudes towards women became hostile. Before the war women would never have thought of applying for men’s jobs but would have accepted that their role was at home looking after the children and the house.
Source E tells us of the great passion and spirit with which women stood up for their beliefs. Before the war they would not have dared voice their opinions this strongly but with the many women’s rights groups now well established this is the first time they would have felt safe enough to do so.
Source F shows a woman in a traditionally male uniform and it appears that she is just as capable as a man at doing this job and it does not seem to be dampening her spirits as she has a large grin on her face.
Source G shows that women have come along way in terms of social stature since before the war. It says that women are essentially equal to men and that the previous ideas about men working and women looking after the house no longer apply. Women have proved that they are able to their share in times of crisis.
I think that these sources outline the great changes to the position of women in the social structure of Britain during the war in much detail. It makes you realise just how far women have come and how many over those changes came about as a result of the First World War.