Book Description
Using almost 200 photographs from collections housed in Birmingham Central Library, this book looks at the role and lives of women of different social classes in Birmingham up until the 1950s.
The situation of women at the end of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century was traditionally confirmed by financial circumstances, social conventions and the expectation that the primary role of women was to be a domestic one. The fate of working class women began to change in the early part of the twentieth century. Their essential contribution to war work gave them a taste for independence and they were an integral part of the work force, especially in Birmingham, the 'City of a Thousand Trades'. Many middle class women found social philanthropic issues to occupy their time. The first women's anti-slavery society was established in Birmingham in 1825. Some women were able to lead financially independent lives, as teachers and nurses, as well as in manufacturing and trade.
This book is a unique record of an important part of Birmingham's social history, and shows some of the women who have played an important role in the history of the City.