Born in Poplar, London,[1] Chipchase grew up in poverty, during the Great Depression.
[2] She attended Sir John Cass Technical Institute and Morley College.
[1] Chipchase found work as a railway clerk, and joined the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA).
In 1962, Chipchase moved to work for the Trades Union Congress (TUC), initially as Woman Officer in its Organisation Department.
[4] Chipchase also had significant impact on the TUC's policy at the International Labour Organization, and served as the vice-chair of its committee which developed the Declaration and Resolution Concerning a Plan of Action, which was passed at the World Conference on Women, 1975, and fed into the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3520.