Women in the Great War

• The First World War brought many changes to women.
• The war brought many women more independence and new opportunities.
• Prior to the war, women had been campaigning for the vote but this stopped and their focus was on the war effort instead.
• During the war, women took on many types of jobs they would not have had the opportunity to do before.
• Many women worked in the munitions industry, a dangerous and important job.
• Some women turned a horrible yellow colour due to the chemicals in the explosives, which they were proud of as it showed they were doing their bit.
• Women worked in many different types of factories during the war.
• Many women worked in the Land Army, where women from towns and cities were recruited to go and work on farms to help produce food.
• Many women worked as nurses and treated soldiers injured at the frontline during the war.
• After the war, many women lost their jobs as men returned from fighting.
• The work that women did during the war is seen as one of the key reasons for women over 30 being given the vote in 1918.