Women During WWI
During WWI women could start to see a bright future for their careers and rights. Most women went overseas to be a nurse in the war. Others would work in factories, here the women would make the weapons for battle, since the men were busy fighting in the war. When the conscription crisis occurred during the war, the politicians allowed a limited amount of women, who had family members in the war, the right to vote. The politicians knew that if they allowed more women to have the right to vote then more of the male members of their family would join the army.
By early 1914, 5.09 million out of 23.8 million women in Britain were working. Most of these women worked in munition factories. These were filling factories, in these factories the workers would specialize in filling various military weapons such as,
Women would also work in offices and large hangars used to build aircraft. Knitting socks for the men out at war was also a big job that women filled the role of, but they were not paid for this tedious job, along with other voluntary jobs such as
Women had to work hard enough to keep their homes but also be at home to tend to their children and the house. Women had a lot of responsibility and were starting to get the respect they deserved. These women would often take on extra responsibilities to prove they were highly capable in diverse fields of efforts.
By early 1914, 5.09 million out of 23.8 million women in Britain were working. Most of these women worked in munition factories. These were filling factories, in these factories the workers would specialize in filling various military weapons such as,
- Bombs
- Shells
- Cartridges
- Pyrotechnics
- Screening Smokes
Women would also work in offices and large hangars used to build aircraft. Knitting socks for the men out at war was also a big job that women filled the role of, but they were not paid for this tedious job, along with other voluntary jobs such as
- Serving at the Red Cross
- Encouraging sales of War bonds
- Gardening at the Victory Gardens
Women had to work hard enough to keep their homes but also be at home to tend to their children and the house. Women had a lot of responsibility and were starting to get the respect they deserved. These women would often take on extra responsibilities to prove they were highly capable in diverse fields of efforts.
Women were being paid less than men, but the outlook on equality was looking good. When the change of women being payed two-thirds the typical pay of men arose, so did a historical debate. Part of this debate was about the participation of women in the war, many countries such as Canada, the USA, Great Britain, and most of Europe had extended suffrage to women.