During the First World War, women’s roles were redefined as they entered the workforce whilst the men were away servicing for the country. Women undertook traditionally ‘masculine’ jobs such as: producing munitions, engineering and working in a factory with long hours with arduous jobs. They were exposed to dangerous work conditions and around approximately 400 women died from overexposure to TNT.
However, once the First World War was over, women were expected to return to their home and continue their expected role as a housewife. Their primary goal in life was carved out to be: a stay-at-home housewife and childcare. This was implemented by the 1919 Restoration of Pre-War Practices Act which forced women to leave their wartime jobs and factories switched to peacetime and post-war production. Due to this, thousands of women were dismissed from their jobs.[1] If the Act was not complied with, the employer would be called before the munitions Tribunals and were liable to fines. In general, women accepted that their jobs were temporary but others protested dismissal where it was clear that their job is not one a serviceman would want.[2]
Despite their protests, the ideas of gender roles remained fairly consistent after WW1. Unmarried young women continued to work and made up to 45% of the workforce. They worked in jobs that were considered women’s work such as: domestic servants, nursing.
Married women faced discrimination in the workforce. In 1931, the Marriage Bar was passed which banned women from working. It compelled women to resign if they already had a job, even if they desired to stay. Women were limited from professions but some school boards allowed women who were married to remain in their jobs as long as they remained temporary workers or worked as a substitute teacher.[3] This reinforced the idea that their main priority was focused on childcare.
In contrast, in Canada, women had entered the workforce during the interwar period because of the Great Depression. As the economy collapsed, families were dependent on two sources of income and required their daughters to obtain work and contribute to the household income. It was expected for women to make every effort possible to help their families survive during the Great Depression.
However, this was met with public opposition. A male contributor to the Canadian Congress Journal commented on the rise of women working. He argued that the depression was “paralysing fathers’ abilities to keep their daughters at home and preventing young men from marrying them.”[4]
This demonstrated the hostility surrounding women working during the interwar period. The Marriage Bar absolutely obstructed women from upholding a job if they were married and were often restricted from many professions. Though women were working in Canada, it was against public opposition.
[1] Kate Adie, ‘What did the World War One really do for women?’, BBC, <http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z9bf9j6> [accessed on 10 November 2018]
[2] A. Woollacott, On Her Their Lives Depend: Munition Workers in the Great War (London, University of California Press, 1994) p.109
[3] Claudia Goldin, ‘Marriage Bars: Discrimination Against Married Women Workers, 1920’s to 1950’s’, Nber Working Paper Series <https://www.nber.org/papers/w2747.pdf> [accessed on 14 November 2018]
[4] M. Hobbs, ‘Equality and Difference: Feminism and the Defence of Women Workers During the Great Depression’, Journal of Canadian Labour Studies, vol.32 (1993), p. 1
BIBILOGRAPHY
Adie, Kate, ‘What did the World War One really do for women?’, BBC, <http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z9bf9j6> [accessed on 10 November 2018].
Hobbs, Margaret, ‘Equality and Difference: Feminism and the Defence of Women Workers During the Great Depression’, Journal of Canadian Labour Studies, vol.32 (1993), pp. 202-223.
Goldin, Claudia,‘Marriage Bars: Discrimination Against Married Women Workers, 1920’s to 1950’s’, Nber Working Paper Series <https://www.nber.org/papers/w2747.pdf> [accessed on 14 November 2018].
Pugh, Martin, Women and the women’s movement in Britain since 1914 (Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2015).
Woollacot, Angela, On Her Their Lives Depend: Munition Workers in the Great War (London, University of California Press, 1994).
Attitudes to Women Working in the Twentieth Century 