They began to take up jobs that would be considered unsuitable for women before 1914, such as working in munitions factories and other war industries. Many women volunteered to work overseas as nurses or ambulance drivers. They also drove buses, streetcars, and worked on police forces and civil service jobs. They were also needed for agriculture. Almost all jobs men did before they left to fight in the war were now a women’s job.
World War 1 played a significant part in developing women's political rights in both positive and negative ways. World War one may have foiled the drive by women to gain political rights just as much or even more so then it helped. 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 labor 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.
Before 1914, only a few countries had given the right to vote to women, and apart from these countries women were little involved in the political process. More than any previous wars, World Wars I hinged as much on industrial production as it did on battlefield clashes. With millions of men away fighting and with the inevitable horrendous casualties, there was a severe shortage of labor in a range of industries, from rural and farm work to city office jobs. During World War I, women were called on, by necessity, to do work and to take on roles that were outside their traditional gender expectations. Women took on jobs that were traditionally regarded as skilled men's work.
Men would have not been able to go to war in the woman had not been there to take their posts. Women worked in factories building and manufacturing many munitions and weapons for the Canadian fighting forces. They would make supplies for the war effort such as ammunitions, aircraft, ships, submarines, clothes and weapons (World War Two). Without these war supplies being produced by the women, the men would not have had any weapons or tools to fight and be victorious in the war. Many women also worked in aircraft factories fixing damage warplanes.
The Industrial Revolution which took place in both the 19th and 20th century was an important point in history that altered industry like never before. With the invention of new machines such as the assembly line, worker productivity and output increased. Mass production occurred within the Industrial Revolution which made goods more affordable. With this increasing amount of industry, the demand of workers and urban industrial centres increased. Because of this demand for workers women were brought into the workforce and left the traditional life of taking care of the household behind.
There was a massive disruption of the industries in which women were mostly employed, such as dress-making and textiles. This, in the end, was actually a benefit. As war work became available, such as munitions factories, many of those women could now work in a higher paid job as well as do their part in the war effort. Women in the domestic services even left their jobs in order to work for higher paid jobs2. The first world war gave women more opportunity in the workplace as more occupations were open to them and the war also
Reflections Prof. Duckett Thursday October 16th, 2014 Thadshaini Senthurchandar As a 19th century women, which employment would you wish to have ? Explain your choice. As a women in the 19th century, I would of choose to work in a factory. It was a chance for a women to demonstrate her skills and also to be part of the social circle outside of the house. She did have a salary which may not be as good or as high than the men but was of course a great help to the family and a privilege to her.By 1850, employers did have better economic improvements which benefits a women coming from a middle class.
A wider range of jobs became available to them, they gained more independence and weren’t viewed as second citizens but most importantly, World War One lead to women in Britain gaining the vote. Before the First World War, The majority of women stayed at home and their priorities were looking after the family and the house. Women were seen as the property of their husband. The variety of women’s jobs was very narrow and most women had never had a proper job in their lives. During the war, asso many men were involved in fighting, countless women had a job whether it was working in a munition factory, driving an ambulance or working for the transport of London.
Women were relegated to house and family duties such as cleaning, cooking and taking care of the kids. The working opportunities for women in the nineteen-century were very limited. Employers regularly paid less to women; about one-half to two-thirds of what a man was paid for doing the same kind of job. Working was frowned for a woman because it meant that her husband could not support the family or that she could not get one job. For this reason the only women that were able to work were the ones that were the poor women or the members of the lower class in society.
Children were an economic responsibility for women - providing food, housing and clothing until the child was independent and could go out to work to provide for the family themselves. Most working class women worked, as this was an obligation, but this work contrasted hugely to that of their male counterparts, occupying roles of lower skill and less pay. Edward Cadbury in 1909 said that marriage was ‘an escape from work’ Trint, S. History Learning Site 2010-2011. Women’s Rights. www.historylearningsite.co.uk [accessed 07122011].