| We've come a long way |
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| Written by Mary Turner, 2006 | |
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Page 2 of 3 War brings freedomDuring the war, young women of all classes experienced a freedom they’d never known before. At the end of it, many upper-class women refused to return to a life of idleness and dependence and insisted on being self-supporting. Some went further in their desire for independence and, like Vera Brittain, author of A Testament of Youth, insisted that marriage should be a partnership of equals.At the other end of the social scale, women who’d been servants at the start of the war were reluctant to return to a life of servitude. Many were able to find more congenial jobs in shops or in offices as a result of training they’d received while serving in the auxiliary services. In 1918, women over 30 were granted the vote, ostensibly in recognition of their war work.  Women flight engineers preparing aircraft, 1942. The professions reluctantly opened their doors to women (though in most cases they had to resign on marriage). Marie Stopes opened the first birth control clinic in 1921 and two years later women gained the right to divorce on the same grounds as men. Although the Depression overshadowed women’s issues during the 1930s, the Second World War reinforced the importance of women’s labour. Within a few years of the outbreak of war, the Government made war-work compulsory for young women. Once again women took over civilian jobs from men and joined the auxiliary services. Only combat roles were closed to them, though women like Violette Szabo who were sent abroad to join the resistance (see “FANYs: unsung heroines” below) were secretly trained in the use of weapons and in unarmed combat. All women were involved in the war effort. Housewives took part in the “make do and mend” campaigns, coped with rationing and took in evacuees. Women’s voluntary organisations, such as the WI, WVS and Townswomen’s Guilds, dealt with the aftermath of air raids, assisted with evacuees and preserved food, as well as collecting scrap and knitting for the troops. The two wars gave 20th-century women an increased confidence in their abilities and they became less willing to accept the restrictions placed on them. The marriage bar was abolished in 1946 and calls for equal pay increased. Some women won this as early as the 1950s. In the 1970s women won further rights when equal pay and anti-discrimination laws were passed. Bella Keyzer was one of the first to benefit. She had been a welder during the war but had been forced to leave at the end of it. She regularly applied for a welder’s job but was always rejected because she was a woman. After the new legislation, Bella got her job as a welder. Throughout the 20th century, women were quick to take advantage of the opportunities that came their way. In just over 60 years of them gaining the vote and the right to stand for Parliament, a woman became Prime Minister. Girls, once they had equal opportunities in education, performed better than boys in public examinations. Today women are protected by the law, in theory at least, against discrimination and sexual harassment. Marriage is seen as a partnership of equals. No job is closed to them and they no longer have to choose between a career and a family. Given the huge improvement in women’s roles and status over the past 100 years, it would be no exaggeration to claim the 20th century as The Women’s Century. Mary Turner is a former head of history in a girls’ school and is the author of The Women’s Century: a celebration of changing roles 1900-2000. She has created a women’s history website (www.her-stories.co.uk), which includes, and welcomes, the stories of ordinary women. She can be contacted through the website for speaking engagements. Major milestones1. 1901 Queen Victoria, an implacable opponent of women’s rights, died. |
