During the Second World War, women clerks on the permanent staff who married were allowed to remain in the service in a temporary capacity at the discretion of the Governors. This was a significant shift from previous policies that had forced women to leave upon marriage and receive a lump sum, essentially serving as a dowry. The Bank’s strict enforcement of a marriage bar was finally lifted in 1949, following post-war labor shortages.
In contrast to men, women were paid less than their male counterparts and had a separate pay structure that remained in place until 1958. The salary scheme for men in the Bank was designed to provide a substantial increase around the age of marriage, typically around 28 years old. Women, however, were required to leave the Bank upon marriage and receive a lump sum. This policy was common in many organizations at the time, including the Civil Service.
Despite these challenges, women made history in 1894 when Janet Hogarth became the first woman to work in the Bank, supervising a small team of women who sorted used banknotes. The number of women clerks in the Bank increased significantly during World War I and II, with over 1,300 women appointed by 1919 and nearly 700 by 1944 respectively. However, it wasn’t until after World War II that policies changed significantly for women workers in the banking industry.
