Anne Gillespie Shaw facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anne Gillespie Shaw
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| Born | 28 May 1904 Uddingston, Scotland
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| Died | 4 February 1982 (aged 77) Macclesfield, Cheshire, England
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| Occupation | Engineer, Industrial Psychologist |
Annie "Anne" Gillespie Shaw CBE (born May 28, 1904 – died February 4, 1982) was a Scottish engineer and businesswoman. She was an expert in a field called time and motion study. This means she looked at how people did tasks to find ways to make them faster and easier. In 1945, Anne Shaw started her own company, the Anne Shaw Organisation Ltd.
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Anne Shaw's Early Life and Career
Anne Shaw was born in Uddingston, Scotland, on May 28, 1904. Her parents were David Perston Shaw and Helen Brown Shaw. Her mother later became a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1931.
Anne went to school at St Leonard's School in St Andrews and Laurel Bank School in Glasgow. She then studied at the University of Edinburgh. After that, she went to Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, USA, for more studies.
Meeting Lillian Gilbreth
At Bryn Mawr College, Anne met Dr. Lillian Moller Gilbreth. Dr. Gilbreth was a famous expert in motion study. Anne became her research assistant. She helped Dr. Gilbreth study how people moved to improve their work. Anne then worked at Gilbreth, Inc. until 1930, when she returned to the United Kingdom.
Work at Metropolitan-Vickers
Back in the UK, Anne became a "personnel officer" at Metropolitan-Vickers. This meant she helped manage the employees. In 1933, she became the main supervisor for women workers. From 1930 to 1945, she was the company's chief motion-study investigator. She also gave expert advice to the Associated Electrical Industries group, which included Metropolitan-Vickers.
Supporting Women in Engineering
In 1935, Anne joined the Women's Engineering Society. This group supported women working in engineering. At one of their conferences, Anne gave a talk about her motion studies at the Science Museum in London.
In 1936, Anne helped make a film for the Electrical Association for Women. This film showed how motion study could help with preparing food at home. In 1937, she was chosen to give lectures on new ideas in time and motion study.
Fighting for Women's Rights at Work
On November 26, 1937, Anne spoke at a debate at Metropolitan-Vickers. The debate was about whether it was a bad idea to have female apprentices (young trainees) at the company. Anne strongly disagreed with this idea. Thanks to her and other women like Gertrude Lilian Entwisle and Dorothy Smith, the idea to stop female apprentices was voted down.
Anne married John H. Pirie in 1937. They had three children. At that time, many companies had a "marriage bar." This meant women had to leave their jobs when they got married. Anne wanted to keep working at Metropolitan-Vickers. She also wanted her colleague, Margery Havelock, to keep her job after her wedding. In 1938, Anne convinced the company's leaders to remove this unfair rule.
World War II Contributions
During World War II, Anne was asked to help by the Minister of Aircraft Production, Stafford Cripps. She worked as an adviser on the Production Efficiency Board. This board helped make sure that aircraft factories were working as well as possible.
Starting Her Own Company
In 1945, Anne Shaw started her own business, the Anne Shaw Organisation Ltd. She was the main leader of this company until 1975. From 1964 to 1979, she was also a director at another company called Wescot Ltd.
Anne Shaw's Legacy
In 1954, Anne Shaw was given a special award called Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). She received this honor for her great work in managing people in businesses.
Anne Shaw passed away on February 4, 1982, in Macclesfield, England. She was 77 years old.
In 2017, Anne Shaw was honored by being added to the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame. This means she is recognized as one of Scotland's most important engineers.
