Introduction

Abstract

This chapter contextualises the SOSBW by examining why it was formed and what it tried to accomplish during its tenure. As a migration society that was quasi-governmental, the SOSBW was the product of growing government concerns about domestic conditions and imperial relations following the First World War. While pro-imperialist, the Society was also pro-women and quickly outgrew its original mandate to facilitate the transportation of ‘redundant’ populations from Britain to the empire, focusing instead on the migration of women for professional occupations. This chapter also situations this study in the critical literature and fills a gap in the historiography by examining the Society’s operations over a 45-year period.