How far did World War 1 change the role and status of women?

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How far did World War 1 change the role and status of women?

World War 1, In many people’s opinion possibly one of the most influential incidents on the changing role and status of women to this day. In this essay I will attempt to go through all the major issues and make a conclusion on weather I think World War 1 Changed the role and status of women and weather it affects us to this day.

Before the war women were treated with much of a stereotypical attitude. The “typical” woman was one who stayed in the home, cooked cleaned and looked after there children. Some women worked…well if u can call making matches and clothes pegs work and this was only for the lucky 11%. Many men felt that if a woman did not stay at home and look after the children they were looked down on by there “friends”. So even if a woman could find an employer willing to hire them outside of there home many men would not allow it.

Women accepted this as it was how there mothers and there mothers before that had been treated. There was also a very stereotypical dress pattern fro women they were expected to wear nothing revealing. They had to wear high collars, long skirts and girdles. But women did not complain about this it was considered the norm.

Women were deprived off all sorts of rights before the war. The right to vote, No legal rights, no right to money children or property and again this was accepted throughout society. As women did not have any legal right to there house, children or property they were completely at the mercy of men as the man could chose to divorce her and she would be on the streets. If a man committed adultery a women could not do anything about it. She did not have the right to divorce him until 1923 as one of the Acts of parliament. Also if a man did divorce his wife he would have legal right to all of the property, children, and money again this did not change until 1925.  Although it was considered normal many women did not agree with it and felt that something needed to be done. But is this still the way women are treated today, the role of women today is much of a different attitude in Britain. Women are treated as equal in most situations there are some who discriminate against women but this is not legal. In 1911 Women in work was not a usual thing the statistics speak for themselves (see source 1). I believe that this shows there was a real prejudice against women in the early 1900’s with the majority of women workers worked in domestic services. There were no women MP’s or any women in the any of the government. Women were also looked down on in certain situations. In social situations such a dining or going out in general women were not allowed to go out alone. They had to be escorted by a man or else it was looked down on. Again many women considered it the norm.

Work is also a major issue I will look into in this essay. Not just work before the war but work during and after and the way men felt about women’s new found participation.  As previously mentioned women did not have much of paid work before the war.

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As soon as the war started (1914) many women were put out of there jobs, women who worked as Fish gutters lost there jobs because the fishermen stopped fishing. They stopped fishing because a) Trawlers stopped going out because of patrolling German warships and b) The men were all going to war so there was no were no men to man the trawlers.

In September 1914 nearly half of all women workers were unemployed. But this soon changed as the army became bigger women found work making uniforms for the soldiers who were in even more demand and ...

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