WOMEN'S WORK IN THE PAST
By Tim Lambert
We sometimes imagine that in the past women did not work and just stayed at home. However the great majority of women in the past had to work as hard as men. Often they had to work in the fields alongside men and when the Industrial Revolution came along they had to work in factories.
Women's Jobs in the Ancient World
Egypt
Egypt was unusual among the ancient civilisations in that women had a great deal of freedom. They could come and go as they pleased. They could own property and they could sign contracts. However most women worked in the home. There was a great deal of work to do as most homes were largely self-sufficient. The woman made the families clothes and prepared food such as grinding grain to flour to make bread. Even in a rich family the woman was kept busy organising the slaves.
A woman Pharaoh called Hatshepsut once ruled Egypt.
Israel
In Israel When a father died his sons inherited his property. The oldest son was given a double share. Daughters could only inherit property if there were no sons.
Among the poorest members of society were widows because there were very few jobs for women and no welfare state. If a woman's husband died she lost her livelihood.
In Israel children did not go to school but their parents had a duty to teach them God's laws. Girls learned skills like spinning, weaving and baking from their mothers.
In Ancient Israel some women were businesswomen. Proverbs describes an ideal wife. The writer says: She considers a field and buys it. As well as making clothes for her family the ideal woman sells clothes to merchants.
To read more about life in the Old Testament click here.
Greece
In a rich family the wife was expected to run the home and, sometimes, to manage the finances. However rich women would normally stay indoors and send slaves to do the shopping. Poor women, of course, had no choice. They might also have to help their husbands with farm work. Women, even rich ones, were expected to spin and weave cloth and make clothes.
Women were ruled by men - by their father, husband or (if widowed) son.
Rome
Roman women were allowed to own and inherit property and some ran businesses. (In the Bible there is a woman named Lydia who sold purple cloth). In certain trades some women helped their husbands, especially in silver working and perfumery. Furthermore some women were priestesses or worked as midwives or hairdressers. There were also some female doctors. However in the Roman Empire most jobs were done by men.
Most women were fully occupied with looking after children and doing tasks like spinning wool for the family. Rich women had more freedom, especially if they were widows. However many women were slaves.
To read more about life in Rome click here.
Women's Jobs In The Middle Ages
Saxon women were allowed to own and inherit property and to make contracts. However most Saxon women had to work as hard as the men spinning and weaving, preparing food and drink and performing other tasks.
In the Middle Ages women worked as hard as men. They were needed on the farms. Women hoed and weeded, helped with ploughing (by driving oxen) and tied the sheaves at harvest time.
They also spun wool and they did cooking and cleaning. Women washed clothes, baked bread, milked cows, fed animals, brewed beer and collected firewood!
Some women became nuns but they too had to work hard.
Women's Jobs In The 16th and 17th Centuries
In the 16th and 17th centuries the professions (teacher, lawyer, doctor) were closed to women. However some women had jobs. Some of them worked spinning cloth. Women were also tailoresses, milliners, dyers, shoemakers and embroiderers. There were also washerwomen. Some women worked in food preparation such as brewers, bakers or confectioners. Women also sold foodstuffs in the streets. A very common job for women was domestic servant. Other women were midwives and apothecaries. However most women were housewives and they were kept very busy. Most men could not run a farm or a business without their wife's help. However most women were housewives and they were kept very busy. Most men could not run a farm or a business without their wife's help. In those days most households in the countryside were largely self-sufficient. A housewife (assisted by her servants if she had any) had to bake her family's bread and brew their beer (it was not safe to drink water). She was also responsible for curing bacon, salting meat and making pickles, jellies and preserves (all of which were essential in an age before fridges and freezers). Very often in the countryside the housewife also made the families candles and their soap. The Tudor housewife also spun wool and linen. A farmer's wife also milked cows, fed animals and grew herbs and vegetables. She often kept bees. She also took goods to market to sell. On top of that she had to cook, wash the families clothes and clean the house. The housewife was also supposed to have some knowledge of medicine and be able to treat her family's illnesses. If she could not they would go to a wise woman. Only the wealthy could afford a doctor. Poor and middle class wives were kept very busy but rich women were not idle either. In a big house they had to organise and supervise the servants. Also if her husband was away the woman usually ran the estate. Very often a merchant's wife did his accounts and if was travelling she looked after the business. Often when a merchant wrote his will he left his business to his wife - because she would be able to run it. Women's Jobs In The 18th Century During the 18th century women were gradually squeezed out of certain jobs such as barber-surgeon. Increasingly a well off woman's place was in the home. Girls from well off families went to school but it was felt important for them to learn 'accomplishments' like embroidery and music rather than academic subjects. Women's Jobs In The 19th Century In the 19th century the Industrial Revolution transformed life in Britain. It changed from a country where most people lived in the countryside and worked in farming to one where most people lived in towns and worked in industry. In the 19th century 'work' became separated from 'home'. A middle class womans place was definitely in the home. Nevertheless in that century women did gain more rights and some women became famous novelists. In the 19th century at least 80% of the population was working class. In order to be considered middle class you had to have at least one servant. Most servants were female. (Male servants were much more expensive because men were paid much higher wages). Throughout the century 'service' was a major employer of women. For working class women life was an endless round of hard work and drudgery. As soon as they were old enough they worked on farms and in factories. Even when they married and had children housework was very hard without electricity or modern cleaning agents. In the 19th century wealthy women were kept busy running the household and organising the servants. Well to do women often also did charitable work. In 1874 the first successful typewriter went on sale and the telephone was invented in 1876. These two new inventions meant more job opportunities for women. From 1865 women in Britain were allowed to become doctors. The first British woman doctor was Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917). Elizabeth also became the first woman in Britain to become mayor of a town (Aldeburgh) in 1908. The first woman in Britain to qualify as a dentist was Lilian Murray in 1895. The first woman to qualify as an architect in Britain was Ethel Charles in 1898. Two famous women of the 19th century were Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole. They reformed nursing. To read more about life in the 19th Century click here. Women's Jobs In The 20th Century The rights and status of women greatly improved in the 20th century. In 1919 Nancy Astor became the first female MP and in 1929 Margaret Bondfield became the first female cabinet minister. In 1979 Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister. More occupations were opened to women. In 1910 the first policewoman was appointed in Los Angeles. In 1916 the first policewoman (with full powers) was appointed in Britain. The 1919 Sex Disqualification Removal Act allowed women to become lawyers, vets and civil servants. (The first female solicitor was Carrie Morrison in 1922). Also in 1922 Irene Barclay became the first female chartered surveyor. In 1917 the WRNS (Women's Royal Naval Service) was formed. So was the WRAF (Women's Royal Air Force). In 1938 the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the female branch of the British army was formed. Nevertheless in the early 20th century it was unusual for married women to work (except in wartime). However in the 1950s and 1960s it became common for them to do so - at least part-time. By the end of the century it was normal for married women to have their own careers. In 1970 the law was changed so women had to be paid the same wages as men for doing work of equal value. In 1973 women were admitted to the stock exchange. From 1975 it was made illegal to sack women for becoming pregnant. Also in 1975 the Sex Discrimination Act made it illegal to discriminate against women in employment, education and training. In 1984 a new law stated that equal pay must be given for work of equal value. In the late 20th century the
number of women in managerial and other highly paid jobs greatly increased.