1st December 1958, Hanover Street, London
Britain’s first woman bank manager poses for an incredulous press.
It’s incredible how much can change in 50 years. Space travel, mobile phones, the internet. But it’s not all been about technology. The 1950s was the era of the housewife and when Miss H. M. Harding became the first female bank manager at a Barclays Branch in Hanover Square, it was met with mixed reactions.
Men considered themselves the main breadwinners at the time, and a woman’s role was to raise a family and look after the home, creating a stability that was lacking during the war. But, this wasn’t to everyone’s taste and, while it was very much the era of the housewife, it was also the decade that saw women taking more senior positions in business.
So, when Miss. Harding met an incredulous press, she became somewhat of a celebrity and inspired a generation of women nationwide. Along with the first female tv newsreader and director of an advertising agency, Miss Harding did as much for banking as she did for the women of the nation.
