Dorothy Elliott

Dorothy Mary Elliott (married name Dorothy Mary Jones) (19 May 1896 – 25 November 1980) was a leading British feminist and trade unionist. She was Chairman (sic) of the National Institute of Houseworkers until 1959.

Life Elliott was born in 1896 in Maidenhead. Her parents were Alice Mary (born Taylor) and William James Elliott and they were both teachers. She was the oldest of their three children. She attended the County Girls’ school in Maidenhead before she won a scholarship Edith Morley gave her career advice - she believed that women needed to compete in a wider range of professions and she encouraged her to take work in Kynoch's munitions factory at Witton, Birmingham. She was paid less, because she was a woman, but the wages were better than she was used to. She had to work two ten hour shifts every week. One week would be daytime shifts and the following week would be shifts at night with an increased hourly rate.

In 1931 she chaired the Standing Joint Committee of Industrial Women's Organisations and she also was the lead for the National Labour Women’s Conference. She advocated minimum wages for a million workers who were in domestic service and catering. The policy was adopted by the Labour Conference that year. Elliott's papers are held at the TUC library.