The Dagenham Four - Wonderful Women No. 49 Collectively

The Dagenham Four - Eileen Pullen, Gwen Davis, Sheila Douglass and Vera Sime
British Equal Pay Campaigners

Added to the album by a wonderful woman called Louise

In 1968, the four women pictured and other workers at the Ford motor company's plant in the Essex town, Dagenham, began the process of gaining equality between men and women in the workplace. They were not the only women involved in this struggle and so, serve here not just as wonderful women themselves but also as representations of the many other women who have contributed to this cause.

1960s Britain was a very unequal place. My father has told me that when he met my mother towards the end of the sixties, they were both in full-time employment with skilled jobs. My mother earned somewhere in the region of £10 per week, while he earned around £100 a week. This is not an unusual story, men earned more than women... it's just the way it was.

The women of the Ford plant were skilled machinists, making car seat covers. They discovered that men working for the company, with equivalent skills (such as spray painters), were earning on average 15% more than them. They argued that this was unfair and when their calls for a fairer deal were not met, the women went on strike. Their strike was widely reported in the press to the detriment of Ford's reputation and halted car production.

We weren't actually over the moon about going on strike, but we were determined to fight for our rights because we wanted to be recognised as skilled workers and to get the same grade and the same rates as the men.
Gwen Davis

After three weeks of protest by downing tools, the Home Secretary intervened and a more equal pay grade was agreed with the company.

It is the campaign of these women that ultimately resulted in the Equal Pay Act of 1970, giving women across the country an equal standing of their income to men.

These women, of working class families and ordinary surroundings did so much for the women of the United Kingdom. By making a stand for what was fair and what was right, they made a huge leap towards creating a more equal society and securing women's financial independence. The struggle is far from over, there are still inequalities and stories of employment tribunals involving women's grievances over unequal pay still make the news but things are better than they were, much better. And for those reasons, we should all be truly grateful for these outstandingly wonderful women.

A clip from the film Made in Dagenham, based one the story of The Dagenham Four >>>