Irish Central Committee for the Employment of Women facts for kids
| Abbreviation | CCEW |
|---|---|
| Formation | November 1914 |
| Dissolved | 30 June 1919 |
The Irish Central Committee for the Employment of Women (CCEW) was an organisation created in Ireland during World War I. Its main job was to give advice to local groups that helped women find work. The CCEW was active from November 1914 until June 1919. It was much like a similar group in Britain that also helped women get jobs.
Contents
The CCEW: Helping Women Find Work
How the Committee Started
The Irish Central Committee for the Employment of Women (CCEW) was set up by the British Government in November 1914. It worked together with the Queen's Work for Women Fund. The CCEW covered most of Ireland, including Leinster, Munster, and Connaught. There was a separate group for the Ulster region.
Who Was Involved?
Many people who supported women's right to vote, called suffragists, were part of the CCEW. For example, Mary Galway was a member of the Ulster branch. Most of the CCEW members were women from Dublin who wanted women to have the right to vote. Their goal was to be a main advisory group for local branches.
The first leader of the committee was Elizabeth Burke-Plunkett, Countess of Fingal. Other important members included James Mallon, who was the secretary, and Lady Isabel Talbot, Baroness Talbot de Malahide and Lady Caroline Arnott. Cissie Cahalan, a suffragette who was against the war, also helped the CCEW. The committee wanted Irish women to earn the same pay as women in Britain.
What Kind of Work Did Women Do?
During the war, many professional nurses volunteered to help. Other women who were not nurses helped by sewing and making bandages. Over the course of the war, about 1,400 women worked in government-owned factories. These factories made supplies for the war, and they were located in Dublin, Waterford, Cork, and Galway.
A factory was also set up in Dawson Street, Dublin, to make toys. This was because toys used to come from Germany, but the war stopped that. In late 1915, the CCEW asked people in Dublin to make 300,000 pairs of socks and 300,000 belts for the Army.
When Did the Committee End?
After World War I finished, the British Government closed down the committee. This happened on June 30, 1919.
Why Was the CCEW Criticized?
Problems with Pay and Volunteers
Some people criticized the CCEW. One problem was that some factories preferred to use volunteers instead of paying women for their work. This meant that women could not get paid jobs. A complaint about this was even sent to Matthew Nathan, a government official in Ireland, in 1916.
Low Wages for Women and Girls
There were also times when factories replaced adult women with girls under 18. This was because the lowest pay for girls under 18 was only 5 shillings a week. A shilling was an old type of money. Women in the CCEW sometimes also received very low wages. Because of this, some workplaces were even called "Queen Mary's Sweatshops," which meant they had very bad working conditions and low pay.
