Life for Women in the Early 1900's-In the 1900's, woman had no political rights and few social rights. as well as not being able to vote or work in most jobs, they were viewed socially as being weaker, and many believed that their only job should be working at home and taking care of their children. There were millions of women employed as domestic workers, preschool or primary school teachers, or nurses, but only hundreds employed as doctors or engineers. Britain believed in the quote "let women be what god intended, a helpmate for a man, but with totally different duties and vocations" said by Queen Victoria. Since she was one of the most famous people in Europe at the time, European men used what queen Victoria said to justify their behavior, and women felt like they had to agree with it. Women were not given the freedom to chose not to be forced to live with a man until 1918, and many still did because they were so dependent on them. Divorced women were treated as outcasts. In the year 1900, only 18% of women were in the workforce, and those who were usually had to leave after they got married to take care of their children.
World War 1- this was one of the first major changes for women's rights in society. When the war first began, the many women who were domestic servants lost their jobs because middle class families wanted to save money, causing unemployment rates for women to increase drastically. However, with all the men fighting in the war, they had to take on the millions of jobs that were once considered exclusive to men, but now had to somehow be filled. A group called The Women's Royal Air Force, along with the Women's Royal Navy Service and the Women's Army Auxiliary corps, was even created where women worked as mechanics on planes. This group recruited women with propaganda similar to other propaganda of the time period, and was one of the first times they could be involved in war. Around 1,600,000 women joined the workforce between 1914 and 1918. In 1917, 68% of women had changed jobs during the war, 16% had stopped working in domestic service, and 23% had changed factories. before, 22% of women were unemployed, but during the war, unemployment ended.
World War 2-Similar to the first world war, almost all men were sent to fight in the second world war. Again this left women all the responsibilities that were once male-dominated. Many took factory jobs, as more war materials were needed, but some worked for Red Cross or even became nurses in the war. However, women were not aloud in combat zones, because they were seen as being unsafe, and men did not want women involved to much in the war, they wanted parts that were exclusive to men. When the war ended, women had been enjoying their independence and freedom, but were mostly laid off as men returned. After the war, although they saw minor improvements, life for women was similar to what it was before. One figure that became famous from world war two was Rosie the riveter, a fictional character portrayed as the ideal women (brave and strong enough to work jobs made for men, but still feminine). She was used to advertise and bring women into the workforce.