Feminism and the health consequences of women’s work in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain

This chapter examines the women's movement or feminist activism during the period of 'first wave feminism' that spans the 1880s through to the end of the first decade of the twentieth century. There are limitations in dividing the discussion of late nineteenth century feminism into two divergent 'camps' - equal rights feminists and social feminists - according to whether they opposed or supported 'protective' legislation. When feminists became involved in these questions, they responded to the health dimension of the debates around 'protective' legislation in much the same terms as other activists. It is impossible to do justice to the range of working conditions and their consequences to health, that were shown to exist in this period, and it is to women factory inspectors and feminist activism that we owe much of this information. Poverty was a key factor used in the arguments by equal rights and social feminists, as well as women inspectors, against restrictive clauses.