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Modern women go back in time to the factory floor. The year is 1976, a year of great hope for women in Britain. But will changes in the law lead to equality on our factory floor?

The year is 1976, when disco was still dominating the dancefloors and maxi dresses were in vogue. It was a year of great hope for women in Britain - the Sex Discrimination Act had been passed in 1975 and the Equal Pay Act had finally come in to force at the end of 1975. But will the changes in the law lead to equality on our factory floor or will our women's hopes be dashed once again?

The Equal Pay Act meant that companies now had to pay women just as much as men for the same job. But our modern Valley Wear employees discover that there are ways of getting around the law. By 1976, women were still earning only 74 per cent of the male hourly rate as employers all over the country found loopholes to avoid paying women more. In a year of economic uncertainty and rocketing inflation, our women will have to decide whether equality is worth striking over. Following in the footsteps of the original female workers who were stalwarts of the unions fighting inequality, they will navigate the world of pickets, banners and crossing the line.

Despite the uncertainty, the production line will still have to run, as the women take on their toughest challenge yet: the prairie dress. Hugely popular in mid-1970s Britain, this romantic bohemian silhouette was pioneered by one of Wales's leading designers, Laura Ashley. By 1976, Laura Ashley had shops from Paris to Melbourne, and her designs hung in the most fashionable boutiques of west London. The women struggle with hems, bodices and collars as they attempt to recreate this iconic 70s style.

And off the production line, the factory holds its own beauty pageant - an event companies all over Britain would have been happy to support as part of social life of the workplace. No beauty contest was complete without the glamour of the swimsuit round, and our factory pageant is no different. But how will the modern women feel about parading in their swimming costumes?

59 minutes

Last on

Wed 6 Sep 2023 15:30
主播大秀 Two

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Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:01

    Maxine Nightingale

    Right Back Where We Started From

  • 00:02

    Maxine Nightingale

    Right Back Where We Started From

  • 00:03

    David Bowie

    Golden Years

  • 00:04

    Leo Sayer, Charlie's Angels (Motion Picture Soundtrack)

    You Make Me Feel Like Dancing

  • 00:05

    Leo Sayer

    You Make Me Feel Like Dancing

  • 00:07

    Ike & Tina Turner

    Acid Queen

  • 00:09

    The Andrea True Connection

    More, More, More

  • 00:09

    Silver Convention

    Get Up & Boogie

  • 00:15

    Status Quo

    Down Down

  • 00:16

    Barry White

    What Am I Gonna Do with You

  • 00:17

    The Slits

    Typical Girls

  • 00:18

    Van McCoy & The Soul City Symphony

    The Hustle

  • 00:19

    Roxy Music

    Love Is the Drug

  • 00:37

    Ramones

    Blitzkrieg Bop

  • 00:41

    David Bowie

    The Jean Genie

  • 00:41

    David Bowie

    The Jean Genie

  • 00:44

    Honey Cone

    Sunday Morning People

  • 00:47

    Tina Turner

    Eartquake And Hurricane

  • 00:48

    Mud

    Lean On Me

  • 00:21

    Hot Chocolate

    You Sexy Thing

  • 00:22

    Average White Band

    Pick Up The Pieces

  • 00:22

    Average White Band

    Pick Up The Pieces

  • 00:23

    Blondie

    X Offender

  • 00:25

    George Baker Selection

    Una Paloma Blanca

  • 00:32

    Thin Lizzy

    Whiskey In The Jar

  • 00:26

    KC and the Sunshine Band

    That's The Way (I Like It) (Dance Remix)

  • 00:27

    KC and the Sunshine Band

    That's the Way (I Like It)

  • 00:35

    Diana Ross

    Love Hangover

  • 00:53

    Gloria Gaynor

    Let's Make A Deal

  • 00:54

    Carl Douglas

    Kung Fu Fighting

  • 00:56

    Hot Chocolate

    You Sexy Thing

  • 00:57

    ABBA

    Dancing Queen

  • 00:57

    ABBA

    Dancing Queen

  • 00:58

    Bonnie Tyler

    Total Eclipse Of The Heart

Credits

Presenter Alex Jones
Series Producer Catrin Griffith
Production Company Wall to Wall Media

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