Scotland also had a greater number of Catholics and faced huge opposition from the church and political parties, so information regarding birth control was scarce.
Other key changes throughout the century were the introduction of electricity and the invention of household aids such as the Hoover, washing machines and irons greatly freed up women's time relived painstaking labour. Improvements to health and housing greatly improved women's lives within the home. Changes to legislation regarding inheritance and home owning, allowed women direct ownership of what previously went to their husbands.
For women in the 1900's there was no way out of marriage, only 142 couples sued for divorce in 1900[3] (who could afford the cost) divorce rates have risen sharply to 12 400 couples in 1991.[4] Key changes in legislation made in the 1920's made it possible for women to divorce men on the same grounds, the Scotland Act of 1938 allowed women to divorce on the grounds of cruelty- for the first time. [5] These changes gave women ability not to put up with unsatisfactory treatment and situations.
Smaller family sizes, household aids, improvements in health and housing, changes in ownership and divorce laws all made a significant difference to Scottish women's lives within their domestic role. Today however, it seems women are still a far cry from equality within the home. A study was undertaken that showed British women averaged 16 hrs more than men in unpaid work within the home in 1983[6] showing the idealized "new man" remains a myth. It can be argued it is socially unacceptable to be "just" a housewife today and women are now expected to work, do the housework and look after the children, proving Scotland's engrained patriarchal views are still enslaving women.
In the early 1900's women's required domestic role greatly hindered access to education. Scotland's traditional and chauvinist ideals prevented women gaining an equal chance to access and progress in education.
