The changing role of women in post-war Britain
I can recall that many women remained in the workforce after WW2, and that women would campaign for equal pay and treatment.
The changing role of women in post-war Britain
I can recall that many women remained in the workforce after WW2, and that women would campaign for equal pay and treatment.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- During WW2, many women entered the workforce or were conscripted into military support services.
- In the late 1940s, labour shortages meant women were encouraged to re-enter the labour market.
- Women were seen as secondary workers and were paid less than men.
- Women campaigned for equal pay throughout the 1950s and 1960s, with teachers granted equal pay in 1955.
- Many married women undertook paid work in the 1960s but still faced significant discrimination.
Keywords
Conscript - to call someone up for compulsory military service
Labour shortage - when there are not enough workers to meet demand
Common misconception
Students might not realise that women as well as men were conscripted during WW2.
In 1940, single women aged 20-30, and widowed women without children, were conscripted into war work.
To help you plan your year 9 history lesson on: The changing role of women in post-war Britain, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 history lesson on: The changing role of women in post-war Britain, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the Post-war Britain: for whom did the United Kingdom become a ‘New Jerusalem'? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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