Leaving school at the age of 18, she worked for some years in various stores, before going to Queen's University Belfast from 1933 to 1936 to study economics and philosophy.
[3] In 1944, Calvert, who had developed an interest in politics after her welfare work,[2] was urged to contest a by-election for the Queen's University Belfast constituency to put a woman's point of view.
[3] In Parliament, she refused to discuss the constitutional question, which she regarded as a distraction from the real task of social reform, including the passage of the Education Act (Northern Ireland) 1947.
[4] In 1950 Calvert began working at the Ulster Weaving Company as an economist, and having successfully helped build up their institutional sales was appointed a managing director.
She also served on Queen's University's Senate and Board of Curators, and was active in The Irish Association for Cultural, Economic and Social Relations.