Women, Workplace Protest and Political Identity in England, 1968-85

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. In doing so, the book contributes a fresh understanding of the relationship between feminism, workplace activism and trade unionism during the years 1968-85. The study covers a period that has been associated with the 'zenith' of trade union militancy. The women's liberation movement also emerged in this period, which produced a shift in public debates about gender roles and relations in the home and the workplace. Industrial disputes involving working-class women have been commonly understood as evidence of women's growing participation in the labour movement, and as evidence of the influence of second-wave feminism upon working-class women's political consciousness. However, the voices and experiences of female workers who engaged in workplace protest remain largely unexplored. Women, workplace protest and political identity in England addresses this space through detailed analysis of four industrial disputes that were instigated by working-class women. It shows that labour force participation was often experienced or viewed as a claim to political citizenship in late modern England. 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 is essential reading for those interested in modern British history, labour history and the history of the women's movement.