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| Gwen performed by Rose Leslie |
Next time you are at a loss of what to talk about at tea time, perhaps bring up the Servant Problem. After all, it was the most common topic of conversation among ladies between 1880-WWI. No "how are the kids?" or "did you see this on Pinterest?". Discuss the issue of your servants becoming educated and having ideas of their own.
With the copulsory education of Board Schools, the young of the era walked into work having a mind of their own. Young women in particular, such as the likes of Gwen in Downton Abbey, began to dream of a life that still included many hours of work, but not for the lady of the house. A servant shortage started because young ladies could now find employment in factories, in offices as secretaries using the newfangled typing machines, in hospitals, in the post and telegraph offices and in shops. While the life of domestic service may have meant being in a higher social class, families, even those whose roots came from domestic service, were starting to let their daughters decide how they would support themselves. Many young women chose a career outside of the house, seeing as they would have to keep a house of their own as soon as they married.
