Women’s employment was hotly debated during and after the wars. During the wars, their labour was needed to keep the country – and the war effort – functioning. But the majority of widows during and after the Second World War – with or without children – had to work to survive, not just because their pensions were meagre but also because they were taxed at the highest rate of 50%. The picture below from the Imperial War Museums’ collections shows Mrs C Ashurst from Eccles in Manchester, working as a welder on the shipyard at Brocklebank Dock in Liverpool. The photo’s description states that Mrs Ashurst “has been with Grayson, Rolls and Clover Docks Ltd for 18 months”.

SHIPYARD WORKERS WORK DAY AND NIGHT. 27 OCTOBER 1944, BROCKLEBANK DOCK, LIVERPOOL. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205157907 © IWM (A 26293)