Army Nursing

Our opinion is that yes war did improve equality for women as they gained suffrage right after world war one, got a taste of domestic equality and many other changes but these were not all started off by war most were the cause of the feminism campaign started in the mid 19th centuryBefore war women had few rights, some women made their underwear?s from grocer?s bag and some made prams from orange boxes, but the Great war contributed greatly to the change that gave women equal rights. Their views towards life changed or improved (Gillett 852-931). By the middle of the 19th century women were demanding equality with men. They wanted suffrage ?the right to vote in elections- and an equal to work and get educated. They demanded the right to have their own possessions, to divorce their husband, and to keep their children after divorce. The fight for women?s rights was also called feminism, and involved many dedicated women. Some of these changes lead to war.

During war the women worked the factories to keep the family going while the men fought. They proved women could also provide for the family while add to the economy. [2a] they also set in motion dilution which was strongly opposed by the trade unions particularly in engineering and ship building industries.

Many worked as nurses, and they served in hospitals overseas. They had to follow the soldiers to the front lines and help them when needed-and they needed help all the time. Those nurses who did serve on the front lines went from Italy to Belgium, on troop trains to transport ships, army and navy nurse corps served valiantly throughout the war, many receiving decorations for their services, another sign of growing equality in women (Ashburn 63).

With growing numbers of men joining the British armed forces, the country was becoming desperately short of labour. The government decided that more women would have to become more involved in producing food and goods to support the war effort. This included the establishment of the women?s land army. Some farmers resisted this measure. In 1916 the board began sending agricultural organizing officers around the country in an effort to persuade farmers to accept female worker but still nationwide women were not paid as much as the men used to be but that might have been because of tight funds. This strategy worked and by 1917 there wee over 260,000 women as farm labourers.

The war did affect women in a number of ways. Before women were allowed to enter a limited work force; they were allowed to work in factories and drive trolley cars but many women did not like this form of labour. During the war though women became an important figure back blighty as they were the main workforce; they worked the land, did unskilled labour and many became nurses. However the cause of this admittance into the work force was also the cause of the deaths of the sons, brothers, fathers, and husbands, on ...