Commentators writing soon after the outbreak of the First World
War about the classic problems of women s employment (low pay, lack
of career structure, exclusion from "men s jobs") frequently went
on to say that the war had "changed all this," and that women s
position would never be the same again.
This book looks at how and why women were employed, and in what
ways society s attitudes towards women workers did or did not
change during the war. Contrary to the mythology of the war, which
portrayed women as popular workers, rewarded with the vote for
their splendid work, the author shows that most employers were
extremely reluctant to take on women workers, and remained cynical
about their performance. The book considers attitudes towards women
s work as held throughout society. It examines the prejudices of
government, trade unions and employers, and considers society s
views about the kinds of work women should be doing, and their
"wider role" as the "mothers of the race." First published in 1981,
this is an important book for anyone interested in women s history,
or the social history of the twentieth century.
Companion volumes, Women Workers in the Second World War by
Penny Summerfield, and Out of the Cage: Women's Experiences in Two
World Wars by Gail Braybon and Penny Summerfield, are also
published by Routledge.
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