Women in World War One

This year marks the centenary of the beginning of World War One, a war the impact of which was felt by every citizen across the country. A lot of information surrounding all aspects of the War is available to help people remember and commemorate this pivotal event in our history. This includes the BBC’s website where you can find World War One stories: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww1

During this centenary year Chwarae Teg is looking at the ways in which the war impacted on women. We are highlighting key facts and sharing stories relating to the roles women played to make sure their contribution is recognised and remembered.

In addition we are currently carrying out research to contextualise the roles women undertook in 1914 and comparing them with women in 2014. This we hope will allow us to identify how women have progressed in the last century, how the actions of women in World War One served to change the way women could live their lives and the impact this has had on our society today.

We sincerely hope this research will act as a fitting and lasting tribute for women of World War One.

You can help us with this research, if any of the women ancestors in your family went to work on the land or in factories during the War please email [email protected]

Women in World War One: Fact File

Throughout 2014 we will be adding facts, stories and links to help illustrate the role of Women in World War One. These will be shared with our followers on social media through @womenspire and @chwaraeteg to help ensure that we share and remember the valuable role women played during the war.

If you have any facts or information relating to women in World War One, please let us know by emailing [email protected] and we’ll include them here.

Women in World War 1 Facts

• Before the war women tended to work in ‘female friendly’ roles such as domestic service.
  (National Archives)

• In 1915 women marched through London asking for the ‘right to serve’ to help the war effort.
  (BBC)

• The Ministry of Munitions employed 1m women by the end of the war.
  (BBC)

• In July 1914 there were 3.2m women in employment, by 1918 this had risen to 5m.
  (BBC)

• 200,00 women took up jobs in governmental departments
  (WW1facts.net)

• 500,000 took up clerical positions in private offices
  (WW1facts.net)

• 250,000 worked in agricultural positions
  (WW1facts.net)

• During the war 80% of munitions factory workers were women
  (HWB)

• The very first WI was set up in Anglesey in 1915 to encourage people to grow and preserve food.
  (BBC Wales)

• 8.5m women were granted the vote following the war in 1918 although full voting rights were not achieved until 1928 (Parliament website)

• 9,000 women served in France as part of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps as cooks and drivers
  (Daily Express)

• The red poppy as a symbol of remembrance was first created by American teacher Moina Belle Michael
  (greatwar.co.uk)

• Between 1914 and 1918 an estimated 2m women replaced men in employment
  (BBC)

• Up to 1911 between 11% and 13% of the female population were domestic servants, by 1931 this had dropped to under 8%
  (BBC)

• The number of women in the civil service rose from 33,000 in 1911 to 102,000 by 1921
  (BBC)

• The number of female trade union members rose from 357,000 in 1914 to over 1m by 1918
  (BBC)

• The war didn’t have a lasting impact on women’s wages which returned to pre-war rates (half that of men’s) by 1931
  (BBC)

• In 1921 female civil servants passed a resolution asking for married women to be banned from their jobs. The ban was enforced until 1946.
  (BBC)

• While female medical students had been accepted during the war, in the 1920s they were rejected on the grounds of modesty.
  (BBC)

• When war broke out Suffragettes and Suffragists suspended their campaigns to focus on the war effort
  (BBC)

• During the war the suffragettes played an active part in persuading British men to join the army.
  (Slideshare)

• In the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps women were employed in the lines of communication – cooking, catering, storekeeping, clerical work and administration.
  (Slideshare)

• After the war women started wearing shorter skirts, wearing make-up in public for the first time and went out without male chaperones. (Slideshare)

• The skin of women working in arms factories turned yellow from handling TNT, earning the nickname “canaries” of the arms factories.
  (BBC)

• During the war many women worked 12 hour shifts and some worked 13 days without a break. The focus was productivity not work life balance
  (BBC)

• The number of women working in transport increased by 544% and in metal work by 376%.
  (BBC)

• Despite working in male jobs women were paid much less.
  (BBC)

• Skilled male jobs were ‘diluted’ and split into multiple semi-skilled jobs as it was thought women would not be able to match male output.
  (Deborah Thom)

• In 1915 “Mrs Barbour’s Army” protested about rent increases that had been imposed by Glasgow landlords.
  (BBC)

• Mary Barbour organised tenant committees and coordinated eviction resistance where women acted as sentries to watch out for Sheriff’s officers who had come to evict tenants.
  (BBC)

• In 1915 Edith Smith was the first female police officer to be given full powers of arrest.
  (BBC)