New movie Made In Dagenham highlights how female factory workers fought for equal pay in 1960s Britain.

By Kylie Goh

We remember 1968 as a year of revolutions: The civil rights movement comes to a boil in the United States, political liberalisation in Czechoslovakia blossoms into the Prague Spring, Yale starts admitting female students and the students of Paris stage legendary protests against traditional authority figures. Inspired by all the upheaval, The Beatles release their single Revolution, which goes on to sell six million copies.

To this list of events that shaped the course of history, we must add the 1968 equal-pay revolution that starts in the east London suburb of Dagenham.

It begins like this: 187 female sewing machinists in Ford Motor Company Limited’s Dagenham assembly plant are informed that their jobs have been re-graded as less skilled Category B production jobs. This seems to contradict the fact that their work – putting together car seat covers for Ford automobiles – clearly requires a great deal of skill.

To add insult to injury, these women are also told that they will be paid 15 per cent less than the full Category B wage paid to male workers. The resulting strike by these female workers was a pivotal event that ultimately led to Britain’s Equal Pay Act in 1970.

The story of how these women fight for equal pay is the subject of the BBC movie Made In Dagenham, which was screened for an audience of 84 people on March 23 by Golden Village. Part of its Blog Aloud series, the event was held at VivoCity’s Cinema Europa.

Made In Dagenham certainly took me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. At times, the troubles faced by the sewing machinists brought me to tears. When they experienced leaps of progress, my heart would sing with optimism.

Equally arresting was the post-movie discussion led by AWARE president Nicole Tan and honorary secretary Lindy Ong, which touched on key aspects of the film and the broader issue of workplace gender equality.

The discussion kicked off with a quick look at the facts, which were not at all encouraging. Singaporean women are paid an average of 72 cents for every dollar earned by men. Less than 7 per cent of Singapore’s listed companies have a woman on their board of directors. Other aspects of employment, such as attitudes towards women in the workplace and the provision of benefits to female employees, were also touched on.

As a 19-year-old who has yet to enter the workforce, these facts were not at all reassuring. Part of the joy of work must surely come from being appropriately recognised and rewarded for one’s contributions. It seems unfair that as a woman, I could be required to work much harder simply to get an even break.

The concept of equal value was also discussed. Observations included the fact that jobs traditionally undertaken by women, such as childcare providers, are often lower-paying jobs. And even though both spouses’ incomes are increasingly needed these days to support a family, the practice of regarding the husband as the primary breadwinner while the wife provides supplementary income persists.

We also talked about the F Word and discussed the connotations of it as an unsavoury word. Yes, I’m referring to the word ‘feminist’. As a young girl, I grew to identify with the word ‘feminist’ before I knew the negative connotations associated with it.

It was a shock for me when I proudly announced that I was a feminist only to be met with derision and scorn from acquaintances, and even friends. A feminist is someone who believes in gender equality, which I think is only reasonable. The need to reclaim the original meaning of this word was a sentiment shared by the audience during the discussion.

In Made In Dagenham, we are introduced to Barbara Castle, then Britain’s Minister of Employment. Strong and opinionated, she was one of the most important Labour politicians of the 20th century, and one of the few female politicians of her time.

Yet, much as the presence of a woman in a high position does inspire, it is also important to avoid the easy conclusion that the glass ceiling does not exist. It is also important not to overlook the many personal sacrifices that have to be made in order to reach such a position, sacrifices that many men need not make.

The film is a reminder that much of the gender equality we enjoy today was won by the women and men who came before us. AWARE president Nicole Tan said it best when she remarked: “The fight is for the next generation, like the women who fought for us – because we have all loved someone who is a woman.” It was truly a privilege to witness this dedication towards working for the benefit of the next generation, of my generation.

The writer is an AWARE intern who plans to pursue an undergraduate degree in biology. Made In Dagenham (M18) is now showing in cinemas.