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Cutlery Set in Wooden Box
Cutlery Set in Wooden Box
Cutlery Set in Wooden Box

Cutlery Set in Wooden Box

Associated (Aberdeen, Scotland)
Date1953
Object NameCutlery Set
Mediumwood, textile, metal, plastic
ClassificationsOffice Work
DimensionsOverall (Closed Length x Width x Depth): 370 x 240 x 70 mm,
AcquisitionPresented in 2024 by Carole Saunders.
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS095767.1
About MeThis cutlery set was presented to Sheila Smith in August 1953 when she was let go from her job in the printing department at the Corporation of the City of Aberdeen, now Aberdeen City Council. She was let go as she got married and married women were only allowed to stay on at their jobs with the consent of a Committee. After she was let go Sheila worked in various other jobs.

The act of terminating a woman’s employment when she married is known as the ‘marriage bar’. This was a common practice from the 1800s until the 1970s, the Sex Discrimination Act came into force in 1973. Local Authorities set their own stance on the marriage bar. It continued in Aberdeen Corporation continued until quite late, in comparison London County Council removed it in 1935 and the Civil Service in 1946.


If the marriage bar was not enforced there was still a stigma against women who continued to work after marriage. They were assumed to have partners who were drunks or spendthrifts and were unable to manage the family finances. There was also the implication that if they had children they were bad mothers for continuing in their careers.