Women, Workplace Protest And Political Identity In England, 1968-85

Description

This book draws upon original research into women's workplace protest to deliver a new account of working-class women's political identity and participation in post-war England. Focusing on the voices and experiences of women who fought for equal pay, skill recognition and the right to work between 1968 and 1985, it explores why working-class women engaged in such action when they did, and it analyses the impact of workplace protest on women's political identity. A combination of oral history and written sources are used to illuminate how everyday experiences of gender and class antagonism shaped working-class women's political identity and participation. The book contributes a fresh understanding of the relationship between feminism, workplace activism and trade unionism during the years 1968-1985. Half-title page......Page 2 Series page......Page 3 Title page......Page 4 Copyright page......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Tables......Page 7 Acknowledgements......Page 8 Abbreviations......Page 9 Introduction......Page 12 Contextualising women’s workplace activism in post-war England......Page 37 The Ford Sewing machinists’ strike, 1968, Dagenham......Page 67 The Trico-Folberth equal pay strike, Brentford, 1976......Page 93 Sexton’s shoe factory occupation and Fakenham Enterprises, Norfolk, 1972–77......Page 122 The Ford Sewing machinists’ strike, Dagenham, 1984–85......Page 150 Conclusion......Page 175 Appendix......Page 186 Bibliography......Page 193 Index......Page 206