National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies Formed in 1897 Peaceful protest Millicent Fawcett Formed 1903 Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters Christabel and Sylvia Women’s Social and Political Union Direct action Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill Health) Act 1913

-The NUWSS agreed to suspend campaigning to assist the war effort. -By the 10 August, the WSPU had negotiated to suspend campaigning if all suffragettes were freed from prison. -Most agreed to this, but the Women’s Freedom League was formed to continue campaigning. -In July 1915, the last suffragette demonstration did not demand the vote, but had banners stating ‘We demand the right to serve’. -Although not seeing active service, this wish was granted to many women throughout the war.

-100,000 joined the auxiliary units of the armed forces. -100,000 became military nurses in such units as the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANYs). -200,000 women worked in government departments. -500,000 did clerical work in the private sector. -250,000 became land workers. -50,000 women worked in public transport as tram and bus conductors. -800,000 employed in engineering workshops. -Plus thousands of volunteers in hospitals, canteens and welfare centres. -PLUS – 4.9 million industrial workers left to join the forces. This was filled by: natural increase in young people of working age (650,000), delayed retirement (290,000), foreign workers (100,000), wounded men who did not return to fight (700,000), overtime and longer hours (equivalent of 1.7m), and WOMEN WORKERS (1.7m).

-Using the statistics on the previous page, create a bar chart showing the amount of women employed in different sectors of the economy. -X = Different types of jobs -Y = Number employed.

-WAGES -Women felt entitled to the same pay as the men in the factories but this did not occur. -Whilst workers’ pay did rise during the war, women did not share proportionally in this. -SOCIAL ADVANCE -Some historians are wary of seeing this as a permanent social advance seeing that as since once the war was over, the great majority gave up their jobs to the returning men. Particularly in the factories. -BUT… -Short hand typists had come to stay and jobs such as clerks and secretaries became associated with women. -Clothing and hairstyles became more practical (e.g. dresses became lighter and more adapted to physical movement). -Travelling to work (or indeed living away from home) had helped produce independence. -This was evidenced by women being seen more often in pubs alone.

IndustryTransportAgricultureCommerceAll workers July July July Percentage of women in the workforce