Society for Promoting the Employment of Women facts for kids
The Society for Promoting the Employment of Women (SPEW) was one of the first groups in Britain to help women find jobs. It was a very important organization for women's rights and opportunities.
What Was SPEW?
SPEW was a special group that worked to help women get training and find good jobs. Before SPEW, many middle-class women could only work as a governess (a private teacher for children) or a lady's companion. SPEW wanted to change that.
How It Started
The society was started in 1859. Some of the amazing women who helped create it were Jessie Boucherett, Barbara Bodichon, Adelaide Anne Proctor, and Lydia Becker. Maria Rye was also a founding member. In its early years, SPEW worked closely with another group called the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science. SPEW also had its own magazine, the English Woman's Journal. This magazine was published by Emily Faithfull's Victoria Press.
Helping Women Find Jobs
SPEW helped make it okay for women to work in many new jobs. They helped women become typists, hairdressers, printers, and bookkeepers. This was a big step forward because it gave women more choices and independence.
New Names, Same Mission
Over the years, the society changed its name a few times.
- In 1926, it became the Society for Promoting the Training of Women.
- In 2014, it changed its name again to Futures for Women.
Today, Futures for Women is still working to help women. It is a registered charity and continues its important mission. The old records of the society, up to 1991, are kept at Girton College, Cambridge.
