Why were women needed?

As more and more men either volunteered or were conscripted to the front line women were employed to fill the gaps.

They were especially important in the munitions industry. In 1915 there was a munitions crisis. It was Lloyd George's responsibility to solve this crisis. He encouraged factories to take on more women workers.

Workers Trade Unions were not happy abou this as they knew women would be paid less than men and therefore would be employed over men. They were also concerned about what would happen when men returned from the trenches to find their job was now being done by a woman.

Lloyd George passed a law which meant women and men had to paid the same and promised that when the men returned from the trenches they could have their jobs back. Lloyd George also opened a number of government factories that employed high numbers of women to kick start this process.

By 1918 there were also 1 million women working in munitions factories.