The first issue of The Electric Age Journal published by the Electrical Association of Women in 1926. (Image credit: The Institute of Engineering and Technology)
In the early 1920s, electricity became widespread across the UK and was beginning to be introduced into homes. This was also at a time when women were still struggling to break into the engineering fields, which upset a young Caroline Haslett, who garnered engineering knowledge while employed at workshops during the First World War. She was also a prominent figure for women's rights. So, when Mabel Matthews, an electrical engineer, saw the potential of having electricity in the home, which was still unpopular, she created a scheme to make it a reality and enlisted the help of Haslett.
The idea was to convince others that having electrical appliances would make life considerably easier and thus lessen the burden of their domestic work. As one would imagine, Matthews was immediately shut down after submitting proposals to the Institute of Electrical Engineers and the Electrical Development Association. Not to be deterred, she then approached Haslett, who, at the time, was secretary of the Women's Engineering Society, who was enthusiastic about the possibilities and presented the idea to her boss.
What started as an idea soon became a reality for both Matthews and Haslett and as a result of their pioneering efforts, they formed the Women's Electrical Association in 1924, with Haslett as its first director. Now, 100 years later, those achievements are being celebrated by the Royal Academy of Engineering's Watts in a Home - Electric Dreams 2024: a festival of womanpower, which marks the centenary of the founding of the Electrical Association for Women (EAW).
According to the Royal Academy of Engineering, Watts in a Home - Electric Dreams 2024 will train a minimum of 24 engineers using hands-on and interactive activities, along with a theater production of "Watts in a Home" to share the story of the Electrical Association of Women and Electricity with the public.
Watts in a Home is part of the Royal Academy of Engineering's 17 new Ingenious awards aimed at public engagement projects designed to inspire the next generation of engineers. Those funded projects are designed to get underrepresented audiences interested in the engineering fields and will feature engineers on hand to share their stories and engineering expertise with those in attendance.
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