ABSTRACT
In 1915, The Englishwoman’s Year Book and Directory carried a brief essay on ‘Engineering’, simply signed ‘C.Griff.” engineering as a profession,’ writes Ms. Griff, ‘has not many attractions to most women, but owing to the ever increasing use of machinery in this the twentieth century, there is an equally growing need and place in the professions for the woman engineer.’2 Russia, Switzerland, the United States and Canada, she continues, were the most progressive on the issue, but ‘in England there is not-to the writer’s knowledge-any woman but herself practicing as a consulting engineer, and exceedingly few training as qualified engineers in any branch beyond automobilism.’ Griff goes on to point out that there are essentially two ways in which engineers in Great Britain can become qualified: either by pursuing theoretical studies at an institution of higher education, or through ‘work in the “shops” of engineering works.’ She further mentions that the ‘next best method is private tuition from a practical working engineer,’ in which the two other, more feasible routes are combined. This type of dual qualification, academic as well as practical, which prevailed in Great Britain at the time, made it doubly difficult for women to enter the profession.
