DORA

1. National 5 History:
Era of the Great War
Changing role of Women

2. Today’s lesson
We are consolidating our knowledge and understanding of
the changing role of women as a result of World War One
By the end of today’s lesson I should be able to:
1) Describe changes to the role of women’s lives as a result of the
Great War.
2) Explain why these changes in women’s lives took place
Today’s lesson involves:
Note taking
Worksheet Task

3. The Changing role of women
• The early 1900s saw various changes introduced in Britain; women
often were the subject of these changes, especially during the Great
War leading up to the 1918 Representation of the People Act.
• Today we are going to at the changing role of women under the four
headings:
• The Workplace
• The Western Front
• Political changes.
• Social changes

4. Task 1
On each row is an information pack
on the four changes to women’s lives
during the war. Each covers a
different change that occurred in
women’s lives.
Each pair in the row is going to look
at a different change for 7 minutes
taking down detailed notes under the
heading on each sheet.
Remember to include the following:
1) What was the change?
2) Why did the change happen?
3) What actually happened?
4) Scottish examples
Changing role of women
Women’s changing role in the workplace
The Western Front
Political changes
Social Changes
Your notes should look this this

5. Changes in the workplace
One of the largest change to women’s lives in the Great War era was in the
workplace. Before the war women worked as servants and or factories, some
women did not have a job as their place was believe at home raising a family.
However, with men going overseas to fight women had to work in traditional male
jobs giving them a chance to experience new workplaces. The women were kept in
factories to ensure that the country kept producing materials during the war.
Others worked in farming and forestry helping ensure the country had enough food
to eat with around 22,000 Scottish women working in farming between 1914 –
1919. To get more women to take part the Scottish Women’s land army used
newspaper adverts to recruit women.
Women also took over other jobs left vacant by men such as police officers. They
also helped run the transport network with Eliza Orr becoming the first women
tram conductor in Glasgow as she took the job during the war.
Women also helped towards the war effort in munitions factories making weapons
for the war. This was dangerous work as some chemicals turned women’s skin
yellow giving them the nickname canaries. In the shell-casing factories of
Glengarnock, 75% of the workers were women.
Due to men resenting the new jobs, many women were dismissed from their
wartime jobs after 1918 or forced to accept lower wages to keep their jobs.

6. The Western Front
Many women even went abroad to help the fight against the Germans.
They worked as battlefield nurses, ambulances drivers all with the aim
of helping soldiers. Others did non-fighting jobs such as working as
mechanics or cooks.
Elsie Inglis was a prominent example of a woman who went out to help
in the Western Front.
The benefits of women having a job, in the western front or at home is
that it gave women as a wage for the first time. This gave women a
stronger sense of independence as they could choose how to spend
their wages. But men often resented these new roles for women.

7. Social Changes
• Women also got involved more in the social life of the country.
Women’s football became popular during the war, as the men’s
leagues were suspended. For example 8000 people watched Scotland
play England at Celtic Park in 1918.
• These football teams were mainly drawn from munitions factories.
Britain’s biggest team Dick, Kerr Ladies FC was part of the Dick, Kerr
company which had a factory in Kilmarnock.
• These changing roles happened because many women wanted it to
happen. They were bored with traditional roles where they would not
work or travel and so took the changes that the war offered them.

8. Political Changes
During the era of the Great War, many women began to get more involved in
politics. They were involved in campaigns to try and win women the right to
vote both peacefully through the Suffragist movement and the more militant
Suffragettes movement.
They were also involved in other political campaigns such as the Clydeside
rent strikes for better housing conditions, whilst others were members of the
Women’s peace Crusade, demanding an end to the war.
From 1918 after the introduction of the Representation of the People Act
some women (if they met conditions or being over 30) were allowed to vote
in national elections. From 1928 this was extended to all women 21 years of
age or over.
Also from 1918, women were also now allowed to stand for election to
become an MP. The first Scottish women MP was Katharine Stewart-Murray
elected in 1923. Ironically she opposed women getting the vote.
Women’s work in the war and their growing independence is said to be the
main reason for the political changes as yearned for more control over their
lives and believed the right to vote would be a thank you for their war work.

9. Task 2 - Comprehension
Answer the following comprehension question and the National 5
Question that follows.
1) Why did the role of women change as a result of the Great War?
2) What was the largest change in women’s lives? Give at least two
reasons to support your answer.
3) Answer the exam question on the next slide.