Women in Society
“Let women be what God intended, a helpmate for man, but with totally different duties and vocations.”
–Queen Victoria
A female may have just ended an unheard of sixty year rule over Great Britain, but women of this time had fewer rights than men in regards to economic, political, and legal matters. This progress in female power actually backfired when advancing women’s place in society, as men seemed to take Queen Victoria’s words to heart with her being such a respected and high woman of power at the time. The Suffragette movement had support of the Labor Party and some Liberal Party members. However, this crusade lost many members, even women, because they saw their actions and message too taboo for the time.
Women in the early 1900’s had a very stereotypical role in British society. Women stayed home with the children, as they were expected to do, while the men went out to work. Some improvements were made in the family structure, such as the ruling in 1891 that women could not be forced to live with a man if they did not want too. However, women relied on men for income so they stayed with them despite horrible conditions at home. Without financial independence, women had no choice. Many women who did not marry and have a family of their own were labeled as a “spinster”, almost implying that they weren't good enough to have a husband. Divorced women were shunned by society.
During this time, women made up 30% of London's workforce. Single women worked in some sort of domestic job like waitress or cooking. This was true for many poorly educated women, who were servants in large houses and eventually trained to work in the kitchen. They however, never became in any role of authority since the kitchen was still the male’s territory. Women who were employed had lower status jobs and less pay than men.
Beginning in 1900, some change came about in the workplace with the abolition of child labor, new technology, and the expansion of local and central government. More educational services allowed women to enter the teaching workforce and the medical profession to minor extent. Employment for women grew from 7,000 to 76,000 by 1911.
–Queen Victoria
A female may have just ended an unheard of sixty year rule over Great Britain, but women of this time had fewer rights than men in regards to economic, political, and legal matters. This progress in female power actually backfired when advancing women’s place in society, as men seemed to take Queen Victoria’s words to heart with her being such a respected and high woman of power at the time. The Suffragette movement had support of the Labor Party and some Liberal Party members. However, this crusade lost many members, even women, because they saw their actions and message too taboo for the time.
Women in the early 1900’s had a very stereotypical role in British society. Women stayed home with the children, as they were expected to do, while the men went out to work. Some improvements were made in the family structure, such as the ruling in 1891 that women could not be forced to live with a man if they did not want too. However, women relied on men for income so they stayed with them despite horrible conditions at home. Without financial independence, women had no choice. Many women who did not marry and have a family of their own were labeled as a “spinster”, almost implying that they weren't good enough to have a husband. Divorced women were shunned by society.
During this time, women made up 30% of London's workforce. Single women worked in some sort of domestic job like waitress or cooking. This was true for many poorly educated women, who were servants in large houses and eventually trained to work in the kitchen. They however, never became in any role of authority since the kitchen was still the male’s territory. Women who were employed had lower status jobs and less pay than men.
Beginning in 1900, some change came about in the workplace with the abolition of child labor, new technology, and the expansion of local and central government. More educational services allowed women to enter the teaching workforce and the medical profession to minor extent. Employment for women grew from 7,000 to 76,000 by 1911.
However, this did not improve the credibility of women in these occupations. Female teachers worked nursery schools or junior education, while secondary schools and universities were taught by men. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, who became the first female doctor qualified in the field, would not receive any business from men because of her gender. Even women wouldn't see Anderson, because traditionally men were in the medical field and wanted to keep that system in place.
The British educational system was less efficient at the time than other countries, where the chances of men getting into a university were slim, let alone a woman attending. It didn't help that the major colleges like Oxford and Cambridge were mostly male dominated. Scotland provided more places for women in their universities, with a separate educational system and earlier elementary education than Britain and Wales.
Timeline of Events for Women in Britain: http://www.mmu.ac.uk/equality-and-diversity/doc/gender-equality-timeline.pdf
For more information:
Trueman , Chris. "Women in 1900." History Learning Site. HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. Web. 11 Nov 2013. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/women_in_1900.htm>.
Vale , Barry. "The Changing Role of Women in Britain."Suite 101. N.p., 18 Nov 2013. Web. 15 Nov 2013. <http://suite101.com/a/the-changing-role-of-women-in-britain-a90091>.
The British educational system was less efficient at the time than other countries, where the chances of men getting into a university were slim, let alone a woman attending. It didn't help that the major colleges like Oxford and Cambridge were mostly male dominated. Scotland provided more places for women in their universities, with a separate educational system and earlier elementary education than Britain and Wales.
Timeline of Events for Women in Britain: http://www.mmu.ac.uk/equality-and-diversity/doc/gender-equality-timeline.pdf
For more information:
Trueman , Chris. "Women in 1900." History Learning Site. HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. Web. 11 Nov 2013. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/women_in_1900.htm>.
Vale , Barry. "The Changing Role of Women in Britain."Suite 101. N.p., 18 Nov 2013. Web. 15 Nov 2013. <http://suite101.com/a/the-changing-role-of-women-in-britain-a90091>.