The upper class and the middle class women were better educated, but it was considered scandalous for wealthy women to work since they did not need to earn a living. For working-class women, the commonest jobs were as servants and cooks. In the industrial areas of Britain in the north and midlands many women worked in factories. Once more the majority of those who worked were unmarried women. Middle-class girls also worked as shop assistants or in an office, but they were expected to give up the job as soon as they got married. Indeed some jobs, such as teaching and bank work also demanded this. However, women were paid much less than men, even when they were doing similar work.
Domestic services attracted many young working class women because the school leaving age was twelve, so many went straight into service. There were about 1.6 million women workers in the domestic services. Pay was very low because there were many girls looking for work and it was a job that did not require any great education. Most of the work was manual. Some domestic servants worked in very terrible conditions. They lived in attics of houses and worked for long hours as cleaners, cooks and chambermaids. Their pay was very low, sometimes only £5 or £10 a year and they often only got one half day in a week- or even a month- off. Servants who ‘lived out’ (in their own homes) were better paid.
The textiles industry was a major employer of women, as it had been since the Industrial Revolution. The number of women employed in the textile industry were 0.6 million. Women could supervise the spinning and weaving machines as effectively as men, but men filled most of the posts of overseers. In the textiles industry pay of women was much lower than for men. The Lancashire textile mills were very famous for employing large number of women. Indeed the percentage of Lancashire working class women with a job was about the same in 1900 as it is today.
Potteries were another work place where women were employed. There were fairly high numbers of women working in pot banks. Some employed 35% - 45% of female in their workforce. The surprising thing was that women continued to work in pot banks even after their marriage. This was partly because of local tradition and partly because of their poverty. Although women dominated skills like painting and flower making, they were generally employed as assistants of skilled men workers, like throwers. Men held all senior jobs. Average weekly wages in 1906 for a 53 hour working week were £1.62 for men and about 59p for women. Children got paid less than adults but there was a difference in pay for boys and girls as well. Boys were paid 56p and girls were paid 31p.
The sweated trades also employed large numbers of women, possibly as many as 950,000. The worst examples of the sweated industries were clothing and dressmaking, where women worked in workshops in the houses of their employers. Conditions could be dreadful and the pay very low. They were also forced to work for long hours. Some women worked at home and were paid piece rates (in other words they were paid for each piece they produced). They made goods like jewellery, or painted lead soldiers. Women were an easy target for the owners of sweatshops. The workers could not afford to complain or they would lose their jobs, and it was almost impossible to set up trade unions because the numbers in each workshop were so small.
Generally, it was not difficult for women to get work, but they usually had to put up with the worst conditions and the lowest pay, often about two-thirds of a man's, or even less. It was very difficult for women to be promoted. Many people simply thought that women were less capable than men. One reason for this was that women were often not as well educated as men. By 1900 boys and girls received a similar basic schooling. However, far more boys than girls were likely to go on to secondary' school. Only 2% of women received secondary education. Just a very few rich girls went to university.
The employment opportunities for women were quite limited, especially the working class, principally because of prevailing social attitudes and expectations in Victorian and Edwardian society. The poverty of fathers reflected on the lack of educational opportunities for girls. Some married women worked because of their poverty but in professions like teaching or banking married women could not work. By 1900 boys and girls received a similar basic schooling. However, far more boys than girls were likely to attend secondary schools. Just a very few rich girls went on to university.
