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Women in Wolverhampton's
History
Women at
Work |
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Some examples of women's
employers:
Courtaulds
In August 1916 a new
employer came on the scene - Courtaulds. The company bought land
in Dunstall and Whitmore Reans with the purpose of building a new
factory for the manufacture of yarn.
The
Wolverhampton plant was built in the mid 1920s, though the recession
of 1926 meant that full production on the site was delayed until
1927, when it was decided to open a second plant. The reasons for
this were "an expectance of brisk demand", "the absence
of unforeseen circumstances", and "the apparently unlimited
labour supply in Wolverhampton".
Courtaulds
Factory under construction in 1925 (L6/COU/E/1)
The
second plant was complete by 1929, but it was not fully operational
until1932.
Courtaulds employed a
large number of women. The conditions inside the newly built factory
were pleasant and a skilled female worker could earn good wages.
In coming to Wolverhampton
the company had said they were attracted by "a supply of the
right sort of female labour". By that they meant young and
single.
The wages in 1926 started
at 9s 11d for a 60-hour week that included a Saturday morning. Every
six months there was an increase of two shillings a week. When a
female worker married they were expected to leave. If the company
found out that a female worker was married they were instantly dismissed.
The company had a sports
and social section that ran ladies' hockey and netball teams. There
was also a ladies' cycling club that had ninety members. The sports
and social section also had its own magazine called The Rayoneer,
which carried a ladies' page with beauty tips and fashion
advice.
Extract
from The Rayoneer, April 1933, page 234 (L67746)
The ladies
page in 1932 even ran a competition where it asked its female readers
for what they saw in their "ideal man". The winning entry
is printed below:
Extract
from Ladies Page, The Rayoneer, September 1932, page 64 (L67746)
Courtaulds
Carnival Queen 1935, Miss G Waterfall (V4/COU)
Miss Waterfall
was crowned carnival queen at the Annual Sports Day and Flower Show
27th July 1935. It was thought she would be "
an example and
inspiration in the works during the year."
During the
Second World War Courtaulds were involved with war production, making
armoured cars for Guy Motors Ltd.
In 1970 the factory,
which employed more than 1,300 workers, closed and the buildings
were demolished two years later.
Guy
Motors Ltd
During World War II many
women volunteered to work for Guy Motors Ltd:
Extracts
from The Family Goes to War produced by Guy Motors in the
1940s (L6292p). Note Mrs Nicklin (above) worked a 55 hour week,
brought up 8 children, and 'on Sundays cooked, washed, cleaned and
mended for her husband and family!'
Another
factory in the town that employed large numbers of women included
Efanden.
Press
Shop, Efandem, Wolverhampton 1922(L6/EFA/I/1)
The Efandem
was situated in Park Lane and manufactured electric batteries. The
company later became part of Ever Ready Co Ltd.
Battery
Shop, Efandem, Wolverhampton, 1922 (L6/EFA/I/2)
Fischer
Bearings Co also used a large number of women workers. Located in
the ex-Sunbeam Motor Works in Villiers Street, it manufactured bearings
for mechanical purposes.
Women
assembling and viewing miniature ball bearings in dust-free cabinets
at Fischer Bearings Ltd, Wolverhampton, c.1959 (L6/FIS/I/1)
Women
inspecting small steel balls at Fischer
Bearings Ltd, Wolverhampton, c.1959 (L6/FIS/I/2))
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