Women and the War
Six thousand women at the Royal Albert Hall, on Tuesday, were told by the Prime Minister that through war we had been led to an almost complete equalisation of the roles of men and women in society. Mr. Churchill painted a picture of women engaged in heavy industry, on precise scientific work, at responsible clerical duties, in hospitals, shops, civil defence, and with men in the firing line. Mr. Bevin revealed that over 71 million women were in national service, and more than another million giving part of their time to it. This represented, he said, a voluntary submission to discipline by a whole people. These women had responded to the nation's call because they desired to, not because they were forced to. The Ministry's directions told them where to serve, but not that they must serve.. Mr. Brown spoke of the housewives who four years ago looked after a million evacuated school children and their mothers. The two women Parliamentary Secretaries, Miss Wilkinson and Miss Horsbrugh, also addressed the conference, which closed on a resolution reaffirming its determination to work for victory with all its might and with- equal vigour tackle the tasks of peace. That last phrase is important If what was perhaps the largest representative gathering of women in British history could be called in war-time, the conclusion is obvious. It must be the model for successors. Meanwhile it is significant that in last week's debate on Mr. Bevin's decision to register women between 45 and 50 more women M.P.'s supported the Minister for Labour than opposed him.
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