Women’s Activism Behind the Screens : Trade Unions and Gender Inequality in the British Film and Television Industries

This book contributes to important discussions on gender inequality in the present-day film and television industries and labour movement through an historical analysis of women workers and their trade union in the British film and television industries from 1933 to 2017. This book concentrates on the three iterations of the technicians’ union: the Association of Cine-Technicians (ACT) (1933-56), the Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians (ACTT) (1957-91), and the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) (1991-2017). Drawing on previously unseen archival material and oral history interviews with activists, it casts new light on women’s experiences of union participation and feminism over nine decades. This book advances three key arguments in relation to its central themes: the operation of a gendered union structure, women’s activism, and the relationship between class and gender in the labour movement. Firstly, it argues that a gendered union structure was institutionalised from the union’s establishment and maintained through a belief system that women’s issues were not trade union issues. Secondly, it argues that separate self-organisation was essential to women’s activity within the gendered union structure as it provided an essential space and voice for women to discuss their gender-specific concerns, develop consciousness and skills and formulate policy. It further emphasises the importance of external feminist allies to women’s union activity. Thirdly, it argues that class differences between middle-class women in film and television production and working-class women in the laboratories informed the direction of women’s activity at its height during the 1970s and 1980s. Front Cover Women's Activism Behind the Screens: Trade Unions and Gender Inequality in the British Film and Television Industries Copyright information Table of contents List of Figures Lsit of Acronyms Acknowledgments Introduction Women’s labour history Industrial relations scholarship Methodology Archival sources Oral history Chapter overview 1 Women and the ACT, 1933–59 The establishment and formative years of the ACT ‘Proper safeguards’ during the Second World War Post-war debates on ACT membership Conclusion 2 Catalysts for Change, 1960–75 1960–68: the ‘roots’ of later militancy? 1968–73: the New Left and the women’s liberation movement 1973: three motions on gender discrimination 1973–75: the investigation into patterns of discrimination Appointing the researcher The logistics of the investigation Maternity leave and the provision of training programmes Conclusion 3 ‘Regrettably Up-to-Date’, 1975–81 The Patterns report and the 1975 Annual Conference Rank-and-file apathy The hostility of male union officials The Committee on Equality’s detachment from the formal union structure Single-issue campaigns Training courses for women workers Childcare facilities Abortion rights Informal activity The ACTT’s 1980 Annual Conference The ACTT’s first Women’s Conference Conclusion 4 Remarkable Political Gains? The 1980s ACTT in the era of Thatcherism Women’s structural gains in the ACTT A full-time Equality Officer in the ACTT’s Head Office Equality representatives on the shop floor Annual women’s conferences Publications Continuity in the relationship between women and the ACTT Conclusion 5 Women and BECTU, 1991–2017 1990s: a kind of quiet time 2000s: recruitment and retention 2000s: the Black Members’ Sub-Committee 2010: the first woman president Conclusion Conclusion References Index Back Cover Frances C. Galt explores the role of trade unions and women’s activism in the British film and television industries in this important contribution to debates around gender inequality. The book traces the influence of the union for technicians and other behind-the-camera workers and examines the relationship between gender and class in the labour movement. Drawing on previously unseen archival material and oral history interviews with activists, it casts new light on women’s experiences of union participation and feminism over nine decades. As concerns about the gender pay gap, women’s rights and harassment continue, it assesses historical progress and points the way to further change in film and TV.