Munitions girls worked with sulphur. There was no protection from this dangerous chemical and the women who worked with sulphur found that their exposed skin turned yellow as the chemical impregnated itself into any exposed skin. Therefore, your face and hands could take on a yellow tinge. These women were given the nick-name "canaries" - though it was not a term of abuse, more a nick-name of endearment as people recognised the massive importance of their job. Working with explosive chemicals meant that one explosion in a factory could trigger off many other ones.
Ironically when the war ended in November 1918, and the soldiers returned from Europe, these ladies were dismissed from their job and replaced by those men who had been serving soldiers. The evidence suggests that this did not cause resentment among the women as the soldiers had fought for their country. It was very dangerous. However, thousands of women did work there, even though it was agreed with Trade Unions, showing the loyalty shown to women.
Source G is statistics from a school textbook showing how women’s employment during the war increased. For example in July 1914, there were one hundred and seventy thousand women in the metal industry whereas in 1918 there were five hundred and ninety four thousand workers. This shows that women made a huge contribution to the war effort. The source has limitations because it tells us how many people worked between July nineteen fourteen and July nineteen eighteen, but it does not tell us if they carried on working after the war or how many women were unemployed during that period. To check for reliability a historian would need to carefully cross check all sources.
Women faced great hostility in the workplace by men as they went on strikes in 1915, as men complained unskilled women were taking the jobs of the skilled men. However, during the course of the war women were still discriminated against as they would not get paid as much as men doing the same work. This would have been the government’s way of keeping women down in their place, there was also a so called agreement made with the Trade Union that women would be sacked after the war. However, introduced conscription as the Military Service Acts were passed, by the end of the War 3.5 million men had been conscripted, as more women were recruited.
These figures show that the women were much needed; in an attempt to be successful, showing their contribution to the war effort was vital. This would have been a morale victory to the women. As they would know that they were needed and that would help stake their claim for women’s Suffrage, as previous arguments to women not contributing to the war wouldn’t be used.
Both groups of women Suffragists and Suffragettes suspended their campaigns for the vote 2 days after war was declared, 4 August 1914. The roles of women at first were to persuade the men of Britain to join the army, as the Suffragists did. Mrs Pankhurst staged a huge demonstration demanding women be able to work in munitions factories. In early August, all Suffragettes were released from prison. Many women’s organisations used various tactics in order to recruit men; such as, the ‘White Feather’ in which women would hand it to young men not in the armed forces, the feather symbolising coward. Women members of the active service league took an oath to encourage young men to join ‘I also pledge myself never to be seen in public with any man who, being in every way fit…’ part of the Oath.
Britain were suffering many shortages in 1916, as they had up to 2 million fewer then needed for the country. Therefore, by the end of the war up to half a million women were also given office jobs replacing men. By 1916 the shortage of engineering workers was desperate and jobs were given to the women, in which beforehand there were arguments that they wouldn’t be able to get qualified in a short amount of time . The figures of women at the start f the War and at the end were 3,224,600 in July, 1914 to 4,814,600 in January 1918. 'What would be the good of a vote without a country to vote in!' as the women had realised they had to help there country first and worry about the vote after. Overall, War lead to real changes in social attitudes as it gave women more freedom with clothing and hairstyles began to change.
Millicent Fawcett made a speech to NUWSS at the beginning of the war.: Women your country needs you… let us show ourselves worthy of citizenship, whether our claim to it be recognised or not. This was another example of women putting there country first before the vote. On the other hand, Selina Cooper member of the Clitheroe Suffrage Society had to say: ‘The women of all these countries have not been consulted as to whether they would have war or not’.
But all the work done by women during the war was to lead to something the Suffragettes had wanted but failed to get. In 1918, women over the age of 30 were given the right to vote and in 1928, this was changed so that all women had equal political rights with men.
