Episode 6: Dame Caroline Haslett
The daughter of a Sussex railway worker, Caroline Haslett had a narrow upbringing and little formal education. But a combination of natural intelligence, iron will and diplomatic charm – along with good fortune – led her to become, through the magic of engineering, the most prominent businesswoman of her age.
Caroline was motivated by a determination to relieve women from domestic drudgery – and thereby free them to pursue careers outside the home – by replacing manual labour with mechanical devices. Starting as an apprentice boiler-maker, she became first secretary of the Women’s Engineering Society and, later, founder and first director of the Electrical Association for Women.
Energetic networking and excellent management skills, which won the admiration of all who met her, took Caroline to the peak of her profession, recognised in 1947 with her admission to the Central Electricity Authority as its first female member – and, for her role advising the government on women’s labour during the Second World War, the award of a damehood.
Henrietta Heald is the author of Magnificent Women and Their Revolutionary Machines (Unbound, 2021). Her other books include William Armstrong, Magician of the North (McNidder & Grace, 2012), which was shortlisted for two literary prizes.
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