Women in World War I

While prior to the war, women were given the sole responsibility to take care of the household, the role of women changed dramatically during World War I. With Britain in a state of total war, all members of society had their own job to do. With all able-bodied men shipped off to war, women “manned factories, invested in war bonds, harvested crops, and cared for troops on leave.” At the factories, women took on highly dangerous jobs in munitions. While multiple women died from the process, the skin of the other women turned yellow, providing them with the nickname of canaries. The jobs, however, were well paying and provided women with an opportunity for independence. Marriage was no longer mandatory for a woman as she could now financially survive without a husband. Jobs saved for women once included nurses, maids, or teachers. With the war, however, many recognized the great work the women accomplished in “men’s jobs,” and the opportunities for a woman broadened immensely. Along with higher wages, working conditions improved and women’s unions were formed.

Although women relished in their new-found freedom, “the pressures of employment,combined with the need to perform housework in straitened circumstances and the inadequacy of social services exacted a heavy toll.” Additional problems arose for the working women when the men returned from the war and unemployment soared, forcing many women out of a job.

Even though the women made great gains in equality following World War I, which included suffrage in many European countries, many European households fell back to their normal routine. True gender equality would not be reached for several decades.

Sources: Women and the Military during World War One
Women on the Home Front in World War One