Page 68 - Fyne Times Spring 2014

SPRING 2014
68
This year marks the 100 year anniversary
of the start of World War I. To mark the
occasion most of the media will dwell on
the part played by men on the frontline.
While their suffering and bravery
obviously cannot be overlooked, women
also played a vital role in the First World
War and their efforts are all too often
overlooked.
Before the outbreak of war, the ambitions
of women only reached as far as finding
a rich husband and having a nice house.
Girls were brought up to be wives and
mothers. A great deal of women also went
into service before they were married.
Domestic chores were the exclusive but
very restrictive domain of females.
But when the war broke out, there was a
massive shift in expectations. With the
world in chaos and men either serving
overseas or killed in action, the social
norms had to be ignored. For the first
time, women were needed for tasks
other than cleaning carpets and feeding
children. The employment statistics
of the time reflect this. At the start of
the war, only 24% of women had paid
employment. By 1918, the figure was
37%, which is not only a great increase
but also does not include the large
amount of women in voluntary roles.
There were other benefits that came with
the new roles for women. For one, it
gave them a certain amount of financial
independence. But also, for the first time
it became socially acceptable for women
to wear trousers. Much of the work they
undertook was simply impossible to carry
out in a skirt and so trousers and in some
cases, overalls became every day wear.
Women in WWI