The development of electrical energy stimulated a thorough restructuring of Catalan industry, which was further encouraged by neutrality during the First World War. The growth of the textile industry ran parallel to industrial diversification and the new needs generated by the electrification of and the revolution in transport. The rise of the chemicals, construction, engineering, food and paper-manufacturing industries revealed the vitality of the Catalan economy. The increase in the number of working women was another decisive factor in the economic growth of the country.