The Employment Opportunities for Women During World War I

The Employment Opportunities for Women During World War I

In Britain before the outbreak of the First World War in 1914

employment opportunities for women were quite limited. Although there

were nearly 6 million women working, approximately 25% of the

country's female population, the type of work they could do was

limited. Women could easily get work but were not treated as equals to

men. In the factories they were paid less, they did not hold positions

of responsibility, seldom got promoted and often had to cope with

prejudice from men. They were thought to be less intelligent and less

capable than men. Also they had few rights and no vote so it was hard

to change things. Of the women working, about 1.5 million were working

in Domestic Service. Another million worked in the factories of

textile industry, and half a million or more in factories of the so

called "Sweated Trades". A few women worked in shops and offices.

Domestic Service was one of the few jobs that employed women in large

numbers, employing one person in every eight. Domestic Service

attracted many young girls because it was a job that did not require a

high level of education, and at that time the minimum school leaving

age was 12. Where parent might encourage boys to stay on at school,

they seldom did this for girls. So, most girls leaving school at that

age, and who were looking for work, were not well educated, and went

straight into menial jobs such as Domestic Service as there was not

much other choice for them. Domestic servants worked for the rich and

middle classes as servants, often in bad conditions and it was almost

impossible for them to do anything about them. They worked very long

hours as cleaners or chambermaids and lived in the attics of the

houses they worked in. The pay was often very low, i.e. £5 to £10 a

year. They only got half a day a week off and some did not even get

half a day.

The textile industry was another major employer of women; it had been