Stock Photo - 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 men's 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.

Stock Photo: 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.

Searchable keywords

Choose multiple keywords