britain 1815-1918

WOMEN -360

·      Working class women – factory conditions had dramatically got better, they had fixed hours like men but it was difficult to accept that any progress had been made- women provided cheap labor that was often temporary

·      When having children things were tough as had to go straight back into long hours.

·      In 1911- 35 percent of women were in the domestic service

·      Unmarried girls would become shop assistants, cooks, mill hands

·      Married would do more dress making

·      Three-quarters of all British women were kept in different spheres to men and if they were they were worse paid

·      Only 3% of women were unionized where as 20% of men where in 1901

IMPACT ON LABOUR FORCE – 372

·      Shortages of work force in 1915 as all signed up for war

·      Women’s employment went from 3 million to 5 million from 1914-1918

·      One and half million were all new workers

·      In the short term- women’s employment in factories quickly declined as men reclaimed their previous employment

·      Long term – monopolized by women after war like shops, hotels and offices

·      One million people drew salaries after the war than before

·      White-collar jobs? – Women in white-color jobs helped this increase

·      War had brought on more of the black market but the upper class where still able to buy luxuries

·      Days lost to strikes rose from 2.5 mill in 1916 to six million 1918