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Women in Wolverhampton's History The Wolverhampton Steam Laundry, opened in 1890, was one of the largest employers of female labour in the town.
Advertisement from Wolverhampton Red Book 1896 (L92) Conditions at the laundry were notoriously poor with low wages and heavy work.
Wash-houses, Wolverhampton Steam Laundry, c.1900 (L6/WOLV/I/3)
Finishing Departments, Wolverhampton Steam Laundry, c.1900 (L6/WOLV/I/2) The 1901 census for Wolverhampton shows that out of a total population of females over the age of 10 years (37,059), almost one third (10,686) were engaged in some kind of occupation, with domestic service being by far the largest employer:
The census also shows that 11.9% of married women were working, with almost half the unmarried women in paid occupations also.
Polishing
& Bobbing Shop: Richard Cooper & Son Lock Manufacturers,
Wolverhampton The outbreak of the First World War brought with it radical changes to the working lives of many women. With their men in the armed forces, industry needed women to meet government war contracts and women were engaged in industry like never before. Female employment in the Black Country during the wars was probably not the extraordinary experience it was for women in other parts of the country. Engineering, metal, chemical and vehicle industries already had significant numbers of women workers in the Black Country. Similarly, the intrusion of war work upon the woman's conventional role as housewife and mother was nothing new to many Wolverhampton women. In order to cope with the requirements of war production existing ractories were rapidly converted to produce the basic currency of war: weapons and ammunition. For further information about women during the two world wars look at our sections on World War I and World War II.
HM Hobson Ltd Accuracy Works, Wolverhampton, 1914-1918 (L6/HOB/I/1)
© Copyright. Wolverhampton City Council, 2002
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