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YR 12 HISTORY- AUSTRALIA 1901-1941
Aim:
To describe the nature of the role, and lives, of women in Australia before, during, and
after World War One
To identify, and describe the extent of, the international influences on the role, and lives, of
women in Australia before, during and after World War One
Australian women prior to World War One lived a life that consisted of traditional female
roles similar to those of their British and Irish relatives. Their value in society was based
on their ability to bear and raise children and maintain a home and they were dependent on
the financial support of their husbands. Families of 10 or 12 children were common in this
era and daily home life was described as labour intensive. The absence of electricity and
basic technology meant that the majority of chores were done by hand including laundry
that was hand wrung and food that had to be prepared daily due to the inexistence of
refrigeration.
Women werent expected to assume a social or political role and men were considered the
face of a family. Women were only granted the right to vote in federal elections in 1902
after the implementation of the Commonwealth Franchise Act, an achievement of the
womens suffrage movement that had begun campaigning for womens political rights prior
to federation. However they did not have the right to vote in all state elections until 1910
when Victoria was the last state to decide to grant women voting rights and they were
again the last to vote women the right to stand for parliament in 1923. The era prior to
WW1 saw no women voted into parliament in either the House of Representatives or the
Senate as women were seen as inferior and too emotional to see reason in regards to
political issues. Politics being dominated by white males meant that women faced harsh
criticism, particularly from newspapers such as the Bulletin where they were portrayed as
unfeminine, selfish, and bad mothers when taking an active role in politics.
Women in the workforce were reasonably rare; it was seen as an activity they took part in
during the years between finishing their (limited) education and getting married. There
were very few employment opportunities, but the majority involved domestic-related
duties including teaching, nursing and the manufacturing of clothing. Womens wages of
this time were significantly lower than that of their male colleagues and were seen to be of
lesser value in the workforce.
