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Women finding themselves suddenly unemployed in 1919
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Women finding themselves suddenly unemployed in 1919
" Good-bye-e-e!" These girls marching off to pastures new seem a jolly bunch, although for the 750000 women who found themselves suddenly unemployed in 1919, the choices of " new jobs" were very limited. Women who were made redundant were given two weeks pay in lieu of notice, and their train ticket home. Subsequently, they would receive six months unemployment benefit, although those who chose to remain on benefit rather than accept available work - usually domestic service - were the subject of virulent contempt. Those women who continued in employment, particularly if married, were accused of being greedy, only holding onto mens jobs in order to earn themselves a little " pin money". Women did continue to be employed in clerical and shop work after the war, but, broadly speaking, both sexes were complicit in steering a return to pre-war gender roles and employment patterns. Date: 1918
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Media ID 14117046
© Illustrated London News/Mary Evans
Employment Gender Jobs Redundant Role Roles Worker Jobless Rights
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Good-bye-e-e!
EDITORS COMMENTS
: A Bittersweet Farewell to the World of Work for Unemployed Women in 1919 This cheerful photograph captures a group of women, waving and smiling as they march off to new beginnings. But for the 750men500,000 women who found themselves suddenly unemployed in 1919, the choices for "new jobs" were extremely limited. The end of World War I brought about a significant shift in the labor market, leaving many women who had taken on jobs during the war to face unemployment. Upon being let go, these women were given only two weeks' pay in lieu of notice and a train ticket home. They were then eligible for six months of unemployment benefit, but those who chose to remain on benefits rather than accept available work, often in domestic service, were met with scorn and derision. Women who continued in employment, particularly if married, were accused of being greedy and selfish, keeping "mens jobs" solely for a little "pin money." The return to pre-war gender roles and employment patterns was a collaborative effort between men and women, with societal pressure to conform to traditional norms. Although women did continue to be employed in clerical and shop work after the war, the broader trend was a move towards a return to pre-war gender roles. The photograph serves as a poignant reminder of the challenges faced by women in the aftermath of the war and the societal expectations that shaped their lives. Date: 1918 (WW1, WWI, World War, Great War, work, worker, workers, women, woman, female, job, jobs, jobless, unemployment, employment, rights)
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