Papers of Marjorie Hayward

The archive consists of a bound volume of printed articles by Marjorie Hayward in the Commercial Bulletin of South Africa (1928-1930); promotional materials for ICI (1930-1939); reports, publications, correspondence, memoranda and working papers written for the Ministry of Labour related to woman power during the Second World War (1942-1944); memoranda, notes and working papers of the International Federation of Business & Professional Women 1953 and report produced for the Ministry of Labour's use (1953); reports and correspondence on women's employment (1940-1953); notes for proposed by Hayward on women power in the Second World War (1960-1); printed materials on women at war, the Civil Service and women's employment (1943-1950); press cuttings (1910-1963); publicity material (1970s), photographs (1923-1968).

Marjorie Hayward (1905-1974) was born in 1905 and attended Maida Vale High School before working with the Federation of British Industries as a typist. From 1928-1930 she was the London Correspondent of the Commercial Bulletin of South Africa and later moved to the press office of ICI. She remained in this position for 11 years undertaking promotional work on dyes and agricultural products across Europe and introducing the zip to the designer Schiaparelli on a visit to Paris in the late 1930s. In 1940, at the start of the Second World War, she left ICI to work in the Ministry of Labour Headquarters. There, she became involved with a survey of woman-power available to industry in 1942, undertaking fieldwork and interviews at labour exchanges. This work for the SE1 Department resulted in a report co-written with Isabel Harrison and KD Matheson, highlighting the lack of involvement of married women with children and their failure to return to industry as the government had requested that year. After this and until the end of the war, she remained involved with the Employment Planning Committee at the Ministry where she stayed until 1959. During this time, she also became involved with Business & Professional Women's Clubs, sitting on its Employment Conditions Standing Committee in the post-war period. After her time at the Ministry, she became involved in film production, making a number of art-related films that were distributed by the British Council. In 1963 she joined with Audrey Mitchell and Don Pavey to form Hayward, Mitchell and Pavey Limited, a firm of colour practitioners that wrote, photographed and produced five filmstrips on colour for educational use. The company was also involved in creating colour schemes for buildings and making decorative features as well as writing a series of training courses on the business use of colour and design. Hayward was awarded an OBE. She died in 1974.

This collection is available for research. Readers are advised to contact The Women's Library in advance of their first visit.

The papers were presented to the Fawcett Library in 1980 by a colleague, Audrey Mitchell.

Fawcett Library Catalogue

The Women's Library holds the records of the British Federation of Business & Professional Women [previously the Business & Professional Women's Clubs] (6BFB). Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) records are held at a number of record offices across the UK. Ministry of Labour records are available at The National Archives (LAB)