Episode 1: After the War
Introducing the extraordinary individuals who came together in Britain after the Great War with a mission to transform the lives of working women. In 1919 they set up the world’s first professional organisation to fight for equal employment rights: the Women’s Engineering Society. The trailblazers featured in this series are Rachel Parsons, Margaret Rhondda, Laura Annie Willson, Margaret Partridge and Caroline Haslett.
In 1918, the battle for the female franchise had been partly won. Women were making progress in medicine, the civil service and the law – but, although more than a million had served in the wartime munitions factories, and made a vital contribution to the Allied victory, the doors of industry were slammed shut against female engineers.
The Women’s Engineering Society set out to change all that. Rachel Parsons, its founding president, articulated a rallying cry that still resonates today: ‘Women have won their political independence. Now is the time for them to achieve their economic freedom too.’
A Guide for Women Pursuing a Career in Engineering
Women engineers play a vital role in the field by contributing unique viewpoints and abilities that foster innovative solutions to pressing global issues. This guide aims to support women interested in engineering careers with essential resources and links to help navigate the journey ahead.
Explore the PDF Career Guide for Female Engineers offering valuable insights and opportunities.
>Career Guide For Female Engineers<
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.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) holds the archives of both the Women’s Engineering Society and the Electrical Association for Women. The author is indebted to the IET for access to these records, and particularly to Anne Locker, Librarian and Archivist, for her help and support.
Online editions of Woman Engineer, the journal of the Women’s Engineering Society. >CLICK< Continue below
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Empowering Women: The 'Women Change Makers' Exhibition
Become a Friend of the project and get your personal invitation to the Women Change Makers Debut Show https://bit.ly/3PUlP3t
We are thrilled to invite you to be a part of an inspiring journey with our exhibition project that shines a spotlight on the incredible women who are breaking barriers and championing equality. Our mission is to honour these trailblazers and share their powerful stories through the Women Change Makers Debut Show on May 29th, 2025.
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>More Guides for Engineering women<
All editions of The Electrical Age, the EAW journal, are available here >CLICK<
Other sources consulted for the Magnificent Women podcasts include:
Rosalind Messenger, The Doors of Opportunity, A Biography of Dame Caroline Haslett, Femina Books, London, 1967.
Viscountess Rhondda, This Was My World, Macmillan, London, 1933
Angela V. John, Turning the Tide, A Life of Lady Rhondda, Parthian, Cardigan, 2013.
Jill Liddington, Rebel Girls, Their Fight For the Vote, Virago, London, 2006.
Margot Asquith (ed.), Myself When Young by Famous Women of Today, Frederick Muller, London, 1938.
Vera Brittain, Women’s Work in Modern England, Noel Douglas, London, 1928.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edition.
Matthew Freudenberg, Negative Gravity, a life of Beatrice Shilling, Charlton Publications, Taunton, 2003.
The Electric Dreams festival of woman-power was launched in 2024 with events, talks and exhibitions around the UK, and its activities continue.
Electric Dreams grew out of the Magnificent Women project created by Dawn Bonfield >CLICK< and Graeme Gooday’s work on Electrifying Women >CLICK<. The other members of the team are Nina Baker, Jan Peters, Helen Close, Eleanor Peters, Katie Carpenter, Sue Bailey, Daniel Belteki, Asha Gage, Henrietta Heald and Anne Locker.
The purpose of Electric Dreams is not only to celebrate the past but also to open everyone’s eyes to the countless stimulating opportunities offered by a career in engineering, especially with the advent of AI and the race to meet targets for Net Zero.
