Women Before World War I

Before World War I, women were not seen as equals to men. Until only recently, women being treated like garbage was nothing out of the ordinary. Their only significance in society’s view was to have children, clean the house, and cook for the family. Women were rarely found living without a husband because they were thought to be unable to support themselves financially. These oppressing ideas were only tiny sparks to the flame women would unleash once World War I began. No longer would the role of women be to care for the family. Women would overcome these struggles by working at the jobs left by the men fighting in the war, supporting the war behind and on front lines, and protesting for the improvement of their lives.

World War I opened many new doors for women everywhere. Large amounts of men were enlisted into the army. Because of this, most of the jobs were left without employees. The government had no

After the war, all men were able to vote. Because the British government saw women as the weaker gender, women had no other choice but to protest for their rights. Only women married to members or who were members of the the Local Government Register and were 30 years of age or older in Britain won the right to vote in 1918. Even though this was a huge step for women, many British women were still oppressed. Voting was still closed from the younger British women until 1928. This was due to an act passed known as The Representation of the People Act. Other nations, such as America, opened the voting polls to all women, as well as men, immediately following the war. The British women were outraged that not every woman in their country could vote. Protesting was the only way they knew they could speak out against their sexist government. Through protests, women could voice their opinions to the government and explain what was wrong with it,