British feminism and the equal pay issue in the 1930s

Abstract

Abstract Did British feminism become moribund during the 1930s? It is often assumed that feminism as an organised movement virtually disappeared from the late 1920s until it re-emerged in the late 1960s. This paper suggests that view needs revision by showing that an active feminist movement existed during the 1930s, and that it conducted a campaign for equal pay in the civil service which culminated in a parliamentary vote for reform even though the Government opposed it. Although the Government later forced Parliament to reverse its vote, the campaign indicates the need for further research on 1930s feminist groups, such as the London and National Society for women's Service (subsequently the Fawcett Society), and its leaders, Ray and Philippa Strachey