Essay on how the first world war changed employment opportunities for women for the better

Essay by becca_12_88 November 2003

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In this essay I am going to write about how I think the First World War changed the employment opportunities for women and what additional opportunities women were given as a result of this.

Before the war came along women had never gone out to work before so this was a massive change for them, it meant the men had to leave women in charge, so at first the beginning of the First World War it was to be expected that men weren't completely sure of women taking over their jobs while they were away fighting in the war, this was because men thought women were incapable of doing an equal amount of work as the men, but surprising when the men returned from the war they were impressed with the work women had done during their absence and were willing to make women more equal to themselves.

For a large number of women who had been working in Britain during the war meant the end of the war, was the end of their working lives.

But even though the war had ended there still was a constant rise in women employment rates. Within three years, the number of women working as domestic services had risen to 1,845,000, well above its re-war level. Other important professions such as medical, legal and teaching all began to take on women more openly.

In addition to more working opportunities, the women also got the right to vote and other legal changes were made. In 1919 the Sex Disqualification Act made discrimination against women in several professions illegal. Another act followed in 1922, the Law Act gave husbands and wives equal rights to inherit each other's property. Also in 1923 the divorce became much easier for women; they could now divorce their husbands on...