Sunday, April 15, 2007

Women working for the war effort


On August 4, 1914 England declared war on Germany; all political activity would be suspended until the war was over. On August 10th it was announced that all suffragettes would be released, and in return the WSPU would end militant activities and help war effort. The Women’s Freedom League did not give up; they kept campaigning for the vote. Emmeline Pankhurst and Christabel Pankhurst from the WSPU played a big part in the war. They were speakers at meetings and recruited young men for the army.
The women played big roles in this war as they would replace the men roles. As the men went overseas they would take on roles and help out. Octavia Wilberforce and Lousia Martindale worked as doctors and would treat the wounded soldiers. Margery Ashby would run a school for the local children to learn. Others, Clementina Black and Hilda Martindale worked to protect all of London's women workers. This was a change in society, women were respected. The number of working women continually increased. By January 1918 there were 4,814,600 working women, and almost 200,000 worked within the government. This changed our society dramatically. With having working women it changed the way of the typical house wife, women were now no longer expected to work at home and do the laundry and make dinner, they had a chance to work hard in what they dreamed to do. It was a step to todays society where women are treated as equals and can do as the please.

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