Breaking Barriers: The Untold Story of Women’s Role at the Bank

In 1894, Janet Hogarth made history as the first woman to work in the Bank, where she oversaw a team of women who sorted used banknotes. By the time World War I began, the number of female clerks employed by the Bank had grown significantly from 65 in 1914 to 1,309 by 1919. These women were paid less than men and had a separate pay structure that remained in place until 1958.

During World War II, the Bank allowed married women to remain in their roles on a temporary basis with the discretion of the Bank’s Governors. Women’s duties expanded slightly during the war to include more clerical tasks, resulting in a 15% reduction in those working on sorting and counting notes and a ten percent increase in those performing clerical work from 1939 to 1944. The marriage bar at the Bank was finally lifted in 1949 due to labor shortages after World War II.

The salary scheme for men at the Bank included a substantial increase around the age of 28, which was considered the typical age for marriage. On the other hand, women were required to leave their positions at the Bank upon marriage and receive a lump sum, essentially serving as a dowry. This policy, known as the marriage bar, was in line with prevailing public opinion of