Women’s Work 1840–1940

84 Pages·1988·11.826 MB·English

by  Elizabeth Roberts (auth.)

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STUDIES IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL HISTORY
Editedfor theEconomic History SocietybyL. A. Clarkson
PUBLISHED
Bill AlbertLatin Americaand the World Economy from Independenceto 1930
B.W.E.Alford Depression and Recovery? BritishEconomicGrowth, 1918-1939
MichaelAndersonApproaches to the Historyofthe Western Family, 1500-1914
MichaelAnderson Population Changein North-WesternEurope, 1750-1850
P.J.Cain EconomicFoundationsofBritishOverseasExpansion, 1815-1914
S.D.Chapman TheCotton Industryin the IndustrialRevolution
Neil CharlesworthBritish Rule and the Indian Economy, 1800-1914
J. A.ChartresInternalTradein England, 1500-1700
R.A.ChurchTheGreatVictorian Boom, 1850-1873
1..A.ClarksonProto-Industrialization:The First Phase ofIndustrialization?
D.C.ColemanIndustryin TudorandStuart England
P. 1..CottrellBritishOverseasInvestmentinthe Nineteenth Century
RalphDavis EnglishOverseasTrade, 1500-1700
M.E.FalkusTheIndustrialisation ofRussia, 1700-1914
PeterFearonTheOriginsand NatureoftheGreatSlump, 1929-1932
T.R. Gourvish Railwaysandthe British Economy, 1830-1914
RobertGrayThe AristocracyofLabourin Nineteenth-eenturyBritain,c.1850-1900
John HatcherPlague,Population and the English Economy, 1348-1530
J.R.HayTheOriginsofthe Liberal Welfare Reforms, 1906-1914
R.H.HiltonThe Decline ofSerfdomin MedievalEngland
E.1..JonesTheDevelopmentofEnglish Agriculture, 1815-1873
JohnLovellBritishTrade Unions,1875-1933
DonaldN.McCloskey Econometric History
HughMcLeod Religion and the WorkingClassin Nineteenth-CenturyBritain
W.J. MacphersonTheEconomicDevelopmentofJapan,c.1868-1941
J. D. Marshall TheOld PoorLaw, 1795-1834
Alan S.Milward The EconomicEffects oftheTwo World Wars on Britain
G.E. Mingay Enclosureand the Small Farmerin theAge ofthe IndustrialRevolution
Rosalind Mitchison British PopulationChangeSince 1860
R.J. Morris Classand ClassConsciousnessin the IndustrialRevolution, 1780-1850
J. ForbesMunro Britain inTropical Africa, 1870-1960
A.E.Musson BritishTrade Unions, 1800-1875
PatrickK.O'BrienTheEconomicEffects ofthe AmericanCivilWar
R.B. Outhwaite Inflation inTudorand EarlyStuartEngland
R.J. OveryThe Nazi EconomicRecovery, 1932-1938
P.1..Payne British Entrepreneurshipin the NineteenthCentury
G.C.Peden Keynes,TheTreasuryand British EconomicPolicy
RoyPorterDisease,MedicineandSociety in England, 1550-1860
G.D.RamsayTheEnglish Woollen Industry, 1500-1750
ElizabethRobertsWomen'sWork 1840-1940
MichaelE.RoseThe ReliefofPoverty, 1834-1914
MichaelSandersonEducation, EconomicChangeandSocietyin England, 1780-1870
S.B.Saul The Myth ofthe Great Depression, 1873-1896
ArthurJ.TaylorLaissez-faireandState Interventionin Nineteenth-century Britain
PeterTemin Causal Factorsin American EconomicGrowth in the Nineteenth Century
Joan Think England's Agricultural Regions and Agrarian History, 1500-1750
Michael TurnerEnclosuresin Britain, 1750-1830
Margaret WalshTheAmerican Frontier Revisited
J. R.Ward Povertyand Progressinthe Caribbean 1800-1960
OTHERTITLES IN PREPARATION
Women's Work 1840-1940
Preparedfor
TheEconomic History Societyby
ELIZABETH ROBERTS
Centrefor North-WestRegionalStudies,
Universityof Lancaster
M
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Companiesand representatives
throughout the world
British LibraryCataloguingin Publication Data
Roberts,Elizabeth,
Women's work 1840-1940.
I.Women-Employment-GreatBritain
History 2.Workingclasswomen-Great
Britain-History
I.Title II.Economic HistorySociety
331.4'0941 HD6135
ISBN978-0-333-36610-3 ISBN 978-1-349-07152-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-07152-4
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Contents
Acknowledgements 6
Note on References 6
List ofTables 7
Editor's Preface 9
1 Some General Questions about Women's Work 11
2 Women's Full-time Paid Employment 29
3 Some Social and Economic Aspects ofthe Work of
Married Women 44
4 Protection and Restriction: Government,
Employers and Unions 55
5 Conclusion 69
Bibliography 74
Index 81
Acknowledgements
Ishouldlike to thankmycolleaguein theCentrefor North-West
Regional Studies, University ofLancaster, Mrs Marion McClin
tock,DrPatThaneofGoldsmiths'College,London,andProfessor
Leslie Clarkson of Queen's University for their support and
helpfulcriticisms.Needlesstosay,Itakefullresponsibilityforany
errorsin the pamphletand mostnotablyfor the manyomissions
which hadto be made.
Note on References
References in the text within square brackets relate to the
numbereditemsin the Bibliography, followed, where necessary,
bythe pagenumbersin italics, forexample[I, 7-9].
6
List ofTables
1.1 Examples ofdifferences between wage books and
census returns 19
1.2 Female participation rates 1871-1931 22
1.3 Average earnings offemales as a percentage of
those for males in selected industrial groups,
1906-35 26
2.1 Domestic servants 31
2.2 Female textile workers in different materials 33
2.3 Total number offemale textile workers 34
2.4 Percentages ofwomen textile workers in
different materials 1851 and 1911 35
2.5 Women clerical workers 1911 and 1931 38
2.6 Dressmakers, milliners and tailoresses 40
2.7 Innkeepers, publicans, lodging house keepers,
cafe proprietors 42
2.8 Female agricultural workers (not farmers) 43
3.1 Percentages ofunmarried and married women in
full-time work in 1911 45
3.2 Average infant mortality rates in areas of
Lancashire 1901-10 47
5.1 Average wages ofmen and women in shillings
per week 1924-35 70
5.2 Women's union membership 1918-39 71
7
Editor's Preface
When this series wasestablished in 1968 the first editor, the late
Professor M. W. Flinn,laid down three guiding principles.The
books should be concerned with important fields of economic
history; theyshouldbesurveysofthecurrentstateofscholarship
rather than a vehicle for the specialist viewsofthe authors, and
aboveall,theyweretobe introductionsto theirsubjectand not'a
set of pre-packaged conclusions'. These aims were admirably
fulfilled by ProfessorFlinn and by his successor,ProfessorT.C.
Smout,who took overthe series in 1977.Asit passes to its third
editorandapproachesitsthirddecade,theprinciplesremainthe
same.
Nevertheless,timeschange,eventhoughprinciplesdonot.The
series was launched when the study of economic history was
burgeoning and new findings and fresh interpretations were
threatening to overwhelm students - and sometimes their
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ofsocialhistory- althoughthedistinctionbetween'economic'and
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theeconomicandsocialhistoryofthewiderworld.However,some
ofthe early titles can no longer claim to be introductions to the
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important areas of debate. If the series can demonstrate to
students and their teachers the importance ofthe discipline of
economic and social history and excite its further study, it will
continuethetask soablybegun byitsfirst twoeditors.
TheQueen'sUniversityofBelfast L.A.CLARKSON
GeneralEditor
9
1 Some General Questions about Women's Work
This pamphletattemptstosurveywomen'sworkin GreatBritain
in the century 1840-1940.This first chapter raises some ofthe
generalquestions, problemsandcharacteristicsofwomen'swork
in the period;thesecond examines in moredetail women's paid
full-time work; the third chapterlooks at someofthe social and
economicaspectsofmarriedwomen'sworkbothpaidandunpaid;
and the last chapter considers changes in women's working
conditionsandstatusandtherolesofgovernment,employersand
unions.
Itisprobablyover-ambitiousto try to coversuchanenormous
topic in such asmall spaceand the bestthatcan be hoped isthat
questions willbe raised and problems aired. Generalisations are
inevitable as are aggregated data. These tend to obscure very
importantdifferencesbetweenareasandindeedbetweentowns:it
is hoped that the examples given will illuminate some of these
individualdifferences. 1840seemsareasonabletimeto begin.By
then, the Industrial Revolution (whatever we may mean by that
term)waswellestablishedanditwasatimewhenpublicdiscussion
of women's work was flourishing and the government was
beginningto legislatedirectlyaboutcertainaspectsofthatwork.
Equally, 1940 seems a useful final date; the beginning of the
SecondWorldWarandthecommencementofaperiodwhichwas
to see verygreatchangesin thelivesandworkofwomen.
In the century 1840-1940 there were significant and radical
changes in many areas ofBritish economic and social life: were
there parallelchangesin theworldofwomen'swork?Onewayof
approachingthequestionofwomen'sworkinthis periodistotrace
thecontinuingeffectsofindustrialisationonthetypesofjobsdone
bywomen,orthe numberofwomen whoworked for wages,the
location of their work, their levels of skill and their degree of
subordinationtomen(althoughitmustbestressedthatindustrial
isation happened at different rates in different areas with
different consequences) [95]. However, anyone seeking funda
mental alterations injob opportunities and in the status ofand
remunerationforwomen'sworkwillnotfindthemin this period.
11