| Emma Paterson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1848 |
| Died | 1886 |
| Known for | English feminist and trade union activist |
Emma Paterson (1848 – 1886) was an English feminist and trade unionist.
Paterson was the daughter of a schoolteacher and married to a cabinet-maker.
In 1875 Paterson founded Women's Protective and Provident League (which in 1903 became the Women's Trade Union League)[1] , aimed at creating trade unions in all trades branded by working women. With this group she helped organize a strike in Dewsbury of weavers.
Paterson put emphasis on the importance of women in the labour movement and her League was initially aimed at establishing women-only unions. This was in part due to the resistance of some of the more traditional trade unions some of whom believed that woman should not work. The failure of the trade union movement to embrace women into the movement is a reflection of the time and the role of women in that context. In general the demands of the WTUL were the same as other male unions, however it is notable for asking for maternity provision, co-operative homes for working women, and the vote for all women, not just women who were property owners.