Made in Dagenham is about the 1968 strike by women in Dagenham, England, which eventually resulted in The Equality Pay Act.
When the Ford Dagenham female machinists work was categorized as unskilled resulting in a pay cut, they went on strike. When all the female machinists from the other Ford plants in the U.K. joined the strike, Ford was forced to shut down. The women had to stand up to Ford management and to their husbands, many of whom were employed by the same plant.
Made in Dagenham is a slightly fictionalized account reminding us that the fight for gender equality is not in the distant past.
Small moments in the film hit hardest. Sally Hawkins, who plays Rita O’Grady, finds herself thrust into a leadership position. When she first meets with the local union representative, he tells her “keep your head down when they (the Ford executives) ask questions and let the men do the talking.” Later, as she rushes off to a union conference, her husband reminds her he is out of clean shirts.
Sometimes the behavior best illustrates the times. For example, when the American Ford representative is welcomed into his English counterpart’s home, his host offers to take his hat and coat. He then immediately hands it off to his wife.
The film is not without humor. There is the real-life moment when a strike banner reading "We Want Sexual Equality" failed to unfurl properly and read “We Want Sex” instead.
The end result was the passing of the Equal Pay Act of 1970, which made it illegal to have different pay scales for men and women. Please note that was two years after the strike, and American women still earn less than men.
Made in Dagenham is a reminder that we have come a long way, but the fight must continue.
When the Ford Dagenham female machinists work was categorized as unskilled resulting in a pay cut, they went on strike. When all the female machinists from the other Ford plants in the U.K. joined the strike, Ford was forced to shut down. The women had to stand up to Ford management and to their husbands, many of whom were employed by the same plant.
Made in Dagenham is a slightly fictionalized account reminding us that the fight for gender equality is not in the distant past.
Small moments in the film hit hardest. Sally Hawkins, who plays Rita O’Grady, finds herself thrust into a leadership position. When she first meets with the local union representative, he tells her “keep your head down when they (the Ford executives) ask questions and let the men do the talking.” Later, as she rushes off to a union conference, her husband reminds her he is out of clean shirts.
Sometimes the behavior best illustrates the times. For example, when the American Ford representative is welcomed into his English counterpart’s home, his host offers to take his hat and coat. He then immediately hands it off to his wife.
The film is not without humor. There is the real-life moment when a strike banner reading "We Want Sexual Equality" failed to unfurl properly and read “We Want Sex” instead.
The end result was the passing of the Equal Pay Act of 1970, which made it illegal to have different pay scales for men and women. Please note that was two years after the strike, and American women still earn less than men.
Made in Dagenham is a reminder that we have come a long way, but the fight must continue.
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