What Was The NUWSS’s Reaction To The First World War?

The NUWSS was bitterly divided over the war. Some of its members supported it and others didn't. Millicent Fawcett said: "Women, your country needs you". She was no flag-waving jingoist and was against the vulgar anti-German feeling of others. But they were not all agreed. When the NUWSS refused official recognition to the International Peace Conference in the Hague, it caused a mass exodus, leaving only Fawcett and the Treasurer. Despite this, nearly all suffragists were active in relief work which actually helped overcome some divisions. They also established a register of volunteer workers.

War initially led to a shortage in female employment because of the collapse of industries such as dress making, cotton and fishing trades. By September 1914, 44 per cent of women were unemployed. By 1915, there was a shortage of workers and the government began to interview women to replace men sent to the front line.

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