A woman could have dealings in property or any related income only through her husband.
Women's Paid Work: As a result of industrialisation women's paid work changed. Women's work, however, was downgraded and kept separate from men's. women were paid much less as their work was classed as only temporary work. A woman's true vocation was considered to be that of wife and mother. Such social stereotyping gave males apprenticeships, entry to trade guilds and better wages than women.
The 1907 Harvester Award drew up a male basic wage sufficient for a man to keep a wife and three children. This judgment only examined the wages of men and disregarded the fact that in some instances women were responsible for the financial maintenance of a family. Around the same time the female wage was fixed to a maximum of 54 per cent of the male wage. In fact, women were left without a basic wage until 1950. Some women did earn an income through writing, however, these numbers are very few and the income was meager.
The Fruit Pickers Award of 1912 legislated on the difference between male and female wages. The needs of a women worker were judged to be those of a single woman, while a man's wages (whether married or not) were set according to the married male basic wage. Women working in what was deemed "female" occupations received lower minimum rates than those in "male" occupations (such as fruit pickers ). Today women, on average, earn less than their male counterparts. In 1998 women in full-time employment were earning approximately 84 per cent of the average male wage.
A good education is, for many, the key to a successful career. Many believe that without it a person will have little or no chance of success. Traditionally, women received only a very basic education where they were taught to read and write - a few domestically useful skills were perhaps also taught. Today, females and males are supposed to have equality of access to education and training in schools changes to curriculum promote the participation of female students in courses that would of been considered 'male? courses ten years ago.
