3.7- 1920s Women in Law Enforcement- the factual and the fictional
1920s Women in Law Enforcement- the factual and the fictional The real 1920s were a time of incredible change in the face of women’s rights and empowerment in the UK. Allow me to paint a picture for you. In 1920, the economy is trying to mend from the first world war. You might be on rations for things like meat and sugar and flour. Women have had the vote for a whole 2 years. (1918 was the year the first of the laws allowing ladies to vote was introduced) there was enormous social and political opposition to this. Women in policing, well, that’s a curious story. According to the articles, the first female British police officer was Edith Smith, in 1915. But before that, the force had ‘matrons’- women who helped out with cases surrounding women’s crimes. I imagine, dealing, vastly, with those of violence against women and sexual assault. Image from Wikipedia: Women in Law Enforcement in the UK The first female superintendent wasn’t until 1930, Dorothy Peto, a lady...