How Did The First World War Change The Role Of Women

To what extent did the First World War change the role of women in British society in the years during and immediately after the conflict? In the lead up to the First World War, the suffrage movement was making significant advances towards the enfranchisement of British women. This would give women a voice in the affairs of the government and greater control over their own lives. By 1914, the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) had 52,000 members and attracted annual donations totalling  £37,000. Furthermore, the increasingly militant actions of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) attracted greater public attention to women’s suffrage. However, Holton believes that this opportunity for permanent political†¦show more content†¦Soon after, women were granted the right to stand for office as MPs, but few women were elected into office. Moreover, the age restriction on women’s voting ensured that men still comprised the majority of the electorate. Despite these shortcomings, the war had a positive impact on the political rights of women. Suffrage, however lim ited, was a significant advancement and gave many women a greater degree of control over their lives. Before the war, politicians thought of enfranchisement as a way to silence suffragettes. Granting women the right to vote without the pressure of militant suffragism signified a greater change in British attitudes towards women. The war may have delayed women’s enfranchisement by a few years, but the war provoked far more significant social change. During the First World War, women made considerable advances in the working world, however, these advances failed to last in the years following the conflict. As young men had left the country for the armed forces, there was a significant lack of labour needed to sustain the war effort. The government encouraged women to support their country by working in factories and in other areas suffering from the lack of young men. Female employment rose over the course of the war from 5,966,000 to 7,311,000: an increase of 22.5%. In addition, many women took up positions of higher responsibility: supervisors, factory inspectors and administrators, allowing women to negotiate their wages and workingShow MoreRelatedThe Era Of The 19th And 20th Centuries1664 Words   |  7 Pages1: The era of the 19th and 20th centuries in Europe was largely defined by imperialism and nationalism. How did these concepts influence the manner in which the world wars were fought? In what ways are they global idea ls? How did these notions cause the wars to become global in nature? What role did the colonies play in the wars? What changes did the wars bring to relationships between European countries and their colonies? Imperialism is the concept of European dominance of non-Western lands throughRead MoreA Time For Change . William G. Pollard, A Physicists, Had1509 Words   |  7 PagesA Time for Change William G. 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