Women before, during and after WW1.

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Women before, during and after WW1 by T.J.Bewick

1.

Pre war women did have working opportunities though very little compared to men, as they were seen as weaker and that their place was in the “home”. Their employment was limited to the domestic service (cleaning or working as a servant) and secretarial work and not manual labour in factories or working class women often worked in the textiles industry. Women were lower paid and were restricted to do less skilled work, as they were considered incompetent. Working class women also worked in the “sweated” trades producing hats and constructing dresses. Since 1880’s new technology such as telephone’s and typewriters changed women’s jobs as women were used to type and answer the phone’s. Some middle class women had professions such as teachers, as in Scotland 60% of teachers were women and they even became doctors due to many middle class women having an education, though these occupations were frowned on by many. At this time around 29% of women were in some kind of employment. Women were expected to run the home and wear long skirts and not to do things that men did e.g. smoke and drink this shows that, people’s view of women and how they were meant to behave influenced their employment opportunities.

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2.

By 1915 war had broken out and many men had gone to fight, and this was the first time women had been given the chance to do manual labour. At the out break of war only volunteers left for war and many men were left to still do the work and women were could only knit garments for the troops and fund raise to help the war effort. On 17th July 1915 Christabel Pankhurst organised a “right to serve” march to be able to work and help the war ...

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