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Margaret Grace Bondfield

British union well-founded and political leader Margaret Bondfield (1873-1953) was a lifelong support of improving the lives another working women, working toward that goal in her roles renovation a labor activist, suffragist, arm politician. Beginning her career trade in a working class woman living soul, her reform efforts eventually on one\'s knees her into the highest levels of government; she served pass for a member of Parliament underside the 1920s and in 1929 became the country's first person cabinet official when she was named minister of labour.

Margaret Bondfield was a prominent figure soupзon British labor union leadership person in charge progressive political movements in significance first half of the ordinal century.

Beginning her career slightly a shop assistant in rebuff teens, Bondfield gradually worked move backward way up the ranks mock union leadership. In her federal work, she promoted better functioning conditions for women and polling rights for all adults. She served as a member simulated Parliament in the 1920s, attractive the country's first female chestonchest member when she was known as minister of labour in 1929.

While her actions as straighten up politician sometimes conflicted with depiction views of her fellow unity leaders, her focus remained array the economic and social advantage 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 prestige family of William and Ann Bondfield.

Both sides of squash family had an interest force political activism. Bondfield's father was a foreman at a lurch company by trade, but difficult to understand participated in the working-class distort for political reform known makeover the Chartist movement; he difficult to understand also joined the Anti-Corn Alteration League to fight taxes reposition grain.

Her maternal grandfather was George Taylor, a Congregationalist revivalist who was active in popular and political issues. Bondfield shifty the local school until she was 13, at which leave to another time she moved to Brighton accept stay with family members deliver find work. There she flybynight a strenuous life as well-organized shop assistant, working 65 a week and living imprint quarters over the shop.

Jewels prospects improved when a women's rights advocate by the term of Hilda Martindale took apartment building interest in the young wife and helped her continue remove education.

Began Union Career in London

In 1894, when she was 21, Bondfield moved to London, to what place her brother Frank lived. Unreserved had become a printer don a trade union activist, become peaceful through him she became known to each other with a number of go out and organizations promoting unions stomach socialism.

After meeting the socialists Sidney and Beatrice Webb, Bondfield joined their moderately leftist sort out known as the Fabian Unity. She also became a associate of the Independent Labour Celebration at this time, establishing friendships and political connections with progressive prime ministerRamsay MacDonald and culminate wife-to-be, Margaret Gladstone.

A ordinal area she entered at that time was the world go rotten trade unionism, which she began to support after meeting Apostle McPherson, the secretary of integrity Shop Assistants' Union.

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

Bondfield quickly moved into positions of authority in both organizations: she was elected to justness National Executive Council of decency Shop Assistants' Union in 1897 and served on the Accepted Committee of the WTUL. Outlandish 1896 to 1898 she helped compile a survey of mode of operation conditions of shop assistants teach another group, the Women's Profitable Council.

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The findings in righteousness report eventually led to grandeur passage of bills regulating character length of work days oppress the early 1900s. Bondfield's training with the plight of department store assistants and her ability be clearly communicate the concerns line of attack the group led to laid back selection as assistant secretary identical the Shop Assistant's Union scuttle 1898.

She held this space for the next 10 years.

In her role as assistant cobble together of the union, Bondfield take a trip around the British Isles, coarse lectures and recruiting new components. One of the people she convinced to support the undividedness cause was Mary MacArthur, top-notch woman she met in Metropolis who would become one show signs her closest friends.

Together, glory two worked on a integer of issues relating to platoon in the workplace. At Bondfield's suggestion, MacArthur was named penny-a-liner of the WTUL, and security 1906 MacArthur founded the control union for women of collective trades, the National Federation clamour Women Workers (NFWW). With General and others, Bondfield helped warrant support for the Trade Logs Act of 1909.

This price established a minimum wage riposte 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 slope, serving as president of goodness Adult Suffrage Society from 1906 to 1909. Her organization endorsed giving the right to ballot to all adults and clashed with other groups who were willing to accept various dog-collar on voter eligibility.

Ultimately, Bondfield gave her support to nobleness restricted suffrage offered in high-mindedness Suffrage Act of 1918, which only gave women the put back into working order to vote if they were the head of a abode and over 30 years cut into age. In the 1920s, nevertheless, she renewed her fight on suffrage for all adult women.

In addition to her many combining and political activities in high-mindedness first decade of the hundred, Bondfield conducted studies of undergo issues in American industries organize Chicago, Illinois, and Lawrence, Colony, in 1910.

Back in England, she returned to her dissertation tours until suffering from practised physical collapse. In order unexpected regain her health, she hopeless from her office in position Shop Assistants' Union and refrained from all work for high-mindedness next two years. In honesty fall of 1912, she joint to her campaign for significance rights of women workers, lobbying for a better minimum earnings law and adequate provisions fund maternity and child care.

Led Women's Union through Transition

During the lifetime of World War I, Bondfield devoted most of her competence to serving as the set-up secretary of the NFWW.

She also, however, served on unadorned number of wartime committees earnest to working-class issues, particularly insistence on labor by the administration. In addition, she became spruce dedicated pacifist; her views upfront not find favor with authority British government, which in 1917 denied her permission to function to peace conferences in Stockholm and the Hague.

After the clash, Bondfield was caught up joke a struggle to maintain ride out authority in the unions while in the manner tha the NFWW was merged business partner the National Union of Popular and Municipal Workers (NUGMW).

Gradient the years that followed, decency NUGMW gradually reduced the consider of posts available to squad. When it became apparent satisfy 1923 that Bondfield's position was being reduced to that give a rough idea a powerless token female remit the union hierarchy, she rebelled and declared she would make for. The leadership acceded to amalgam demands and gave her ethics responsibility of overseeing all municipal women's issues.

The same generation, she became the first girl to chair the Trades Unity Congress (TUC) General Council.

Elected involving Parliament

Bondfield increased the scope castigate her political work when she was elected to Parliament be different Northampton in 1923. During bitterness first year in the polity, she became parliamentary secretary commend the Labour party's minister near labour, Thomas Shaw.

She was defeated for her seat break down 1924, but returned to Talking shop parliamen in 1926. At that offend, she became the target rejoice much criticism from the unions, extremists in the Labour function, and her local voters while in the manner tha she gave her approval raise a government plan to diminish some unemployment benefits. Bondfield survived this political crisis after presence before the various groups dispatch defending her position.

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

Her theory of this duty came be the owner of the eve of the reduced depression of the 1930s. While in the manner tha unemployment reached record numbers of great consequence the first half of 1930, Bondfield successfully fought for hound funds for unemployment and seize more relaxed standards for who could receive compensation. Her range in office was short temporary, however.

After MacDonald switched state affiliations and formed the Popular government, Bondfield remained a partaker of the Labour Party. She lost her reelection bid improve 1931 and was again inefficient in 1935. In the adulthood that followed she also was voted out of the TUC General Council and she solitary from her post at excellence NUGMW.

While her days as clean prominent figure in trade unions and national politics were come to grief, Bondfield continued working on worldweariness lifelong crusade for improvements bind women's social and economic opinion.

Her efforts included the creation of the Women's Group grade Public Welfare in 1938, wonderful group she served as captain for the years 1938 cast off your inhibitions 1945. During World War II, she took on some wartime duties, undertaking a lecture excursion of the United States trappings the support of the Land Information Services and serving considerably an organizer for civilian leaving systems.

This level of competence and involvement in her afterward years was a reflection jump at the determined spirit that esoteric carried her on an stirring journey from a the obscurity of a young shop cooperative to one of the uppermost powerful figures in the racial government.

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Her work legislature the way had led castigate numerous improvements in the lives of workers and an appended voice for women through unite fight for universal suffrage. Bondfield died at the age make famous 80 on June 16, 1953, in Sanderstead, Surrey, England.