York's Factory Women

Women were employed by Rowntrees from the earliest days of the factory in 1862 but the gender balance shifted over time as its growth created a need for more packers, a role that could be undertaken by women, especially young girls. By the early years of the twentieth century women constituted over half of the workforce and would continue to do so.

Rowntrees were more progressive than most in the employment of women and were one of the first factories in the country to allow women to progress to supervisory and, eventually, managerial roles. They had more voting rights within the factory than in general life but earned less and had fewer privileges than male colleagues. Women worked almost exclusively on the machines and undertook labour intensive tasks such as sorting chocolates, putting decorative finishes to them and packing.

Image: From originals held at the Borthwick Institute for Archives.