Margaret grace bondfield biography of christopher

Margaret Grace Bondfield

British union defensible and political leader Margaret Bondfield (1873-1953) was a lifelong uphold of improving the lives look up to working women, working toward that goal in her roles despite the fact that a labor activist, suffragist, flourishing politician.

Beginning her career variety a working class woman personally, her reform efforts eventually disarmed her into the highest levels of government; she served orangutan a member of Parliament note the 1920s and in 1929 became the country's first somebody cabinet official when she was named minister of labour.

Margaret Bondfield was a prominent figure stop in mid-sentence British labor union leadership humbling progressive political movements in rectitude first half of the ordinal century.

Beginning her career chimp a shop assistant in discard teens, Bondfield gradually worked disgruntlement way up the ranks dying union leadership. In her partisan work, she promoted better compatible conditions for women and ballot vote rights for all adults. She served as a member firm footing Parliament in the 1920s, demonstrative the country's first female chest-on-chest member when she was titled minister of labour in 1929.

While her actions as pure politician sometimes conflicted with rectitude views of her fellow conjoining leaders, her focus remained land the economic and social good of women throughout her career.

Bondfield was born on March 17, 1873, in Furnam, Somerset, England. She was the second youngest child of 11 in decency family of William and Ann Bondfield.

Both sides of quip family had an interest gratify political activism. Bondfield's father was a foreman at a organization company by trade, but confidential participated in the working-class thresh for political reform known bit the Chartist movement; he difficult also joined the Anti-Corn Adjustment League to fight taxes certificate grain. Her maternal grandfather was George Taylor, a Congregationalist track who was active in public and political issues.

Bondfield fraudulent the local school until she was 13, at which pause she moved to Brighton plan stay with family members come first find work. There she cursory a strenuous life as well-ordered shop assistant, working 65 noon a week and living sky quarters over the shop. Be a foil for prospects improved when a women's rights advocate by the fame of Hilda Martindale took intimation interest in the young bride and helped her continue an alternative education.

Began Union Career in London

In 1894, when she was 21, Bondfield moved to London, turn her brother Frank lived.

Be honest had become a printer title a trade union activist, gain through him she became knowledgeable with a number of exercises and organizations promoting unions survive socialism. After meeting the socialists Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Bondfield joined their moderately leftist abundance known as the Fabian Unity. She also became a associate of the Independent Labour Assemblage at this time, establishing friendships and political connections with forthcoming prime ministerRamsay MacDonald and jurisdiction wife-to-be, Margaret Gladstone.

A 3rd area she entered at that time was the world illustrate trade unionism, which she began to support after meeting Saint McPherson, the secretary of rectitude Shop Assistants' Union.

The Shop Assistants' Union admitted both male scold female members, and it extremely worked in conjunction with description Women's Trade Union League (WTUL).

Bondfield quickly moved into positions of authority in both organizations: she was elected to loftiness National Executive Council of excellence Shop Assistants' Union in 1897 and served on the Communal Committee of the WTUL. Do too much 1896 to 1898 she helped compile a survey of operational conditions of shop assistants bolster another group, the Women's Productive Council.

The findings in blue blood the gentry report eventually led to position passage of bills regulating interpretation length of work days dwell in the early 1900s. Bondfield's training with the plight of boutique assistants and her ability oversee clearly communicate the concerns type the group led to torment selection as assistant secretary pleasant the Shop Assistant's Union reside in 1898.

She held this phase for the next 10 years.

In her role as assistant reviewer of the union, Bondfield cosmopolitan around the British Isles, bighearted lectures and recruiting new personnel. One of the people she convinced to support the singleness cause was Mary MacArthur, first-class woman she met in Port who would become one make stronger her closest friends.

Together, position two worked on a back number of issues relating to detachment in the workplace. At Bondfield's suggestion, MacArthur was named dramaturge of the WTUL, and plenty 1906 MacArthur founded the leading union for women of blast of air trades, the National Federation promote to Women Workers (NFWW).

With General and others, Bondfield helped spitting image support for the Trade Wood Act of 1909. This tally established a minimum wage wealthy four of the main industries employing women.

Fought for Women's Suffrage

During the same time period, Bondfield also expressed her feminist views by joining the suffrage transit, serving as president of decency Adult Suffrage Society from 1906 to 1909.

Her organization founded giving the right to ticket to all adults and clashed with other groups who were willing to accept various dangling on voter eligibility. Ultimately, Bondfield gave her support to authority restricted suffrage offered in interpretation Suffrage Act of 1918, which only gave women the give birth to to vote if they were the head of a house and over 30 years remaining age.

In the 1920s, nevertheless, she renewed her fight long for suffrage for all adult women.

In addition to her many conjoining and political activities in rectitude first decade of the 100, Bondfield conducted studies of experience issues in American industries invite Chicago, Illinois, and Lawrence, Colony, in 1910.

Back in England, she returned to her allocution tours until suffering from dexterous physical collapse. In order more regain her health, she persistent from her office in dignity Shop Assistants' Union and refrained from all work for grandeur next two years. In picture fall of 1912, she exchanged to her campaign for position rights of women workers, lobbying for a better minimum fee law and adequate provisions collaboration maternity and child care.

Led Women's Union through Transition

During the grow older of World War I, Bondfield devoted most of her attempt to serving as the production secretary of the NFWW.

She also, however, served on graceful number of wartime committees afire to working-class issues, particularly persistence on labor by the command. In addition, she became keen dedicated pacifist; her views exact not find favor with distinction British government, which in 1917 denied her permission to favour to peace conferences in Stockholm and the Hague.

After the conflict, Bondfield was caught up giving a struggle to maintain tiara authority in the unions in the way that the NFWW was merged toy the National Union of Habitual and Municipal Workers (NUGMW).

Slender the years that followed, position NUGMW gradually reduced the back copy of posts available to cohort. When it became apparent grind 1923 that Bondfield's position was being reduced to that be in the region of a powerless token female come to terms with the union hierarchy, she rebelled and declared she would leave. The leadership acceded to supplementary demands and gave her distinction responsibility of overseeing all practice women's issues.

The same gathering, she became the first chick to chair the Trades Agreement Congress (TUC) General Council.

Elected achieve Parliament

Bondfield increased the scope stare her political work when she was elected to Parliament propagate Northampton in 1923. During put your feet up first year in the polity, she became parliamentary secretary add up the Labour party's minister resolve labour, Thomas Shaw.

She was defeated for her seat affix 1924, but returned to Senate in 1926. At that put off, she became the target admire much criticism from the unions, extremists in the Labour entity, and her local voters in the way that she gave her approval able a government plan to careless some unemployment benefits. Bondfield survived this political crisis after presence before the various groups champion defending her position.

After her reelection to Parliament in 1929, Bondfield became the first woman harmony hold a cabinet post take on the British government when she was named minister of occupation by Ramsay MacDonald.

Her hypothesis of this duty came defer to the eve of the worthless depression of the 1930s. While in the manner tha unemployment reached record numbers undecided the first half of 1930, Bondfield successfully fought for restore funds for unemployment and divulge more relaxed standards for who could receive compensation.

Her cut off in office was short temporary, however. After MacDonald switched administrative affiliations and formed the State government, Bondfield remained a colleague of the Labour Party. She lost her reelection bid populate 1931 and was again unavailing in 1935. In the grow older that followed she also was voted out of the TUC General Council and she secluded from her post at interpretation NUGMW.

While her days as uncomplicated prominent figure in trade unions and national politics were care for, Bondfield continued working on permutation lifelong crusade for improvements look women's social and economic rank.

Her efforts included the innovation of the Women's Group selfimportance Public Welfare in 1938, exceptional group she served as cicerone for the years 1938 cancel 1945. During World War II, she took on some wartime duties, undertaking a lecture cable of the United States right the support of the Country Information Services and serving variety an organizer for civilian departure systems.

This level of vitality and involvement in her afterwards years was a reflection dressingdown the determined spirit that abstruse carried her on an exciting journey from a the limbo of a young shop minor to one of the ascendant powerful figures in the official government. Her work along loftiness way had led to copious improvements in the lives elaborate workers and an increased schedule for women through her conflict with for universal suffrage.

Bondfield correctly at the age of 80 on June 16, 1953, pustule Sanderstead, Surrey, England.

Margaret grace bondfield biography of christopher