The Changing Role Of Women As a Consequenc Of Ww1 Essay

Essay on the changing role of women as a consequence of WW1

Before 1914
Many women stopped at home and worked by doing the washing, sewing, and looking after their families, which were the normal activities of a housewife. Before WW1 just over half of all single women and one in seven married women worked outside the home to make money. The men were the breadwinners of the family, and were basically the boss; this was the way the hierarchy in the family was before 1914. Women in paid work weren’t treated the same as the male workers. There was a lot of sexist employers as most of them thought a ‘women’s place’ was in the home. Women faced a lot of discrimination against men if they were seen displaced in the field of work. Most women would be employed in Domestic Service which would include being maids and cleaners for higher class citizens who could afford servants. They would polish silver, wash and do normal household chores.
Most women were brought up to support her husband and look after her home and children; her time was always contributed to her home. As the women would always be in the house they would barely go out. The odd occasion would consist of going to the shop or going to visit the neighbor, even though they were minor trips a women would need a chaperone to take her out of the house, this would consist of the husband or brother, or even another female, but a women would never go out by herself. Women were expected to act in an appropriate restrained way than men. This would include men spitting, swearing, smoking and drinking alcohol. A women would never been seen doing any of the habits that men had. These were all ‘unwritten rules’. These were rules by unofficial, it was seen to be a society rule and would be frowned upon instead of being illegal/legal.
Before 1914 women would dress by covering up all their body to an extent. Women always