Back in time for the factory

[Graphista]

Anyone watching? I love social history programmes like this. I've done a couple of the jobs being looked at but in the 80's not 60's, mum did one in the 60's.

Interesting to see how hard they're finding it, but these are new skills and tools to them. Although as someone who's done a LOT of typing regardless of what my job title at the time was, I do find it shocking that current youngsters are so slow and inaccurate on this.

The accuracy I can kind of understand as its so easy to correct but the speed should be faster if anything.

No, I forgot I’ll have to watch it on catch up.

Think its been very interesting so far. Enjoying the focus on women's employment issues and seeing the things we would find unacceptable by today's standards and how normal it seemed to be for the time.

Yep , enjoyed it
Ii am old enough to remember when women eventually got equal pay ( sort of )
See what happens next week 😀

Mind you, my current office furniture is fairly similar.

I work in the offices of a modern factory, btw.

Where can I catch up? Loved the rest of this series and completely missed this one.

I caught the second half.

I was a bit about the woman saying why didn’t women in the 60’s stand up for themselves! Err they bloody did. They’ve been at it since long before the 60’s and are still having to do it today! Does she think we have pay equality today? Did she think nothing had been happening up to the 60’s?

Yes I found it annoying that they were ignorant of how much women have been doing over hundreds of years to get other women (as well as themselves) equality.

Even some mners think it only "started" with the suffragettes. No, it goes back further.

Women have been and continue to fight for equality and not just for women either.

I was shocked at uni early 2000's that there were still 18/19 year old (and older) women who truly believed equal pay and equal treatment of female employees had already been achieved.

When they learned the stats they were shocked.

Does anyone know where this was filmed please? I'm from South Wales but we don't recognise the factory.

I enjoyed it but am horrified that I so clearly remember 1968 - I was 10 that year

It’s in Merthyr.

(I know the family that took part. )

I thought it was Merthyr!

It seems funny that the women were so surprised about being refused into the men’s bar because I was in Merthyr a few years ago and the bar we went to had only recently started allowing women in. However all the women still wouldn’t go in. I did, with the man I was seeing and a few of the men inside raised eyebrows and one actually asked the man what he was playing at. He had to remind them it was allowed now. It felt like I’d been catapulted back to Victorian times. I couldn’t believe the women all just stayed outside and had the men go inside for all their drinks.

I enjoyed this too. I am old enough to remember the campaigns for equal pay and equal rights in the early 70s but I was still a child and young teen and hadn't realized how very unequal it was.

Really shocking that the young male apprentice got paid nearly twice what the most skilled machinist got.

I loved watching the girl try to work out how to use a typewriter!

Hi, Just a guest visitor here as the topic being discussed was so enjoyable.
My stepfather was as RagTrade factory manager back in the late 60's and into the 70's.
I had a job (19 at the time and studying) as the van driver who brought the machinists into work, took work out to homeworkers and brought in supplies to the factory.
There were hundreds of women who were home-machinists back then.
I remember all the workers, young and old... the machinists, supervisors... all women and the guys in the cutting room.
The radio would be playing Tony Blackburn and Terry Wogan amongst others. And any strange guy who entered the machinists side of the factory (usually the plumber to unblock the loos) ... got immediate visual and verbal attention... LOL!
The days were long, but I remember all the women having great comradery - it was a great atmosphere.
I enjoyed this first episode, I even remembered the jolly older woman who was the supervisor at the time I was there, prompted by the one depicted in this first episode.
Yip, the basic wages were very poor for the ladies, however they gained extra cash by productivity and good work.... wow I used to watch absolutely amazed how they made those machines go like a drag-racer....

Defo big changes since back then.... I had to laugh at the 'office girl' who thought the Olivetti calculator was a telephone... I just pee'd myself laffing... the typewriter? yeah, I can forgive her for that one LOL!
Love this new series... you gals have come a long way, even from back then... enjoy... I know I will. :)

I learned to type on a manual typewriter and went through electric typewriters with daisy wheel and golf ball then word processors and finally computers, tablets etc. It's much harder to type on a manual as each key needs to be hit with the same pressure or typing is uneven and keys get stuck as happened in the programme. I don't blame her for finding it difficult - here I am typing on my smartphone with one thumb. It's all much easier now.

I was born in the 80’s but someone in my childhood had a manual typewriter as I definitely remember having to press the keys as you describe glamourous. I also used an electric one in primary school. Much easier.

I learned to type on one of those typewriters. Early 80s.

See, I thought that factory was on Treforest Industrial Estate.

Alex Jones is getting on my pip a bit- she's making out as though working in a factory was the only option women had.

I'm from South Wales and, yes, lots of women worked in those factories but there was a really good education system in place and loads of social mobility.

Of course there was rampant sexism - still is in some ways-but it was not as dire as the programme makes out.

It was usually the less well educated women (and men) who worked in factories-many women became teachers, senior nurses and civil servants.

Nobody watching tonight?

I found the "mum shift" really interesting - even now I suspect a lot of mums would love to be able to work school hours.

My mum worked in retail and pubs because they offered these kind of hours.

I'm absolutely loving this.

Good to see Health & Safety viewed as a positive.

1000 people died at work at that time each year, I think it said.

As a bit of a bus 'nerd' I spoke to the driver/owner of the vintage coach they used earlier in the summer at a bus rally!

We double dosed on Alex though, and also watched shop well for less on catch up. Bit too much for one evening.

For those asking where it was filmed. I know one of the ladies who took part.
It’s filmed in the former treforrest textiles factory. On the treforrest industrial estate near Pontypridd.
This was until very recently an active fabric factory and they employed machinists to make curtains, one of these machinists trained the ladies who took part.

Treforrest textiles

Where can I catch up? Loved the rest of this series and completely missed this one
Both episodes are on Iplayer.

What's the deal with the accent of the one who became supervisor this week? It sounds slightly different to the others and I can't totally make it out? Any Welsh mners (or other accent nerds) able to provide info?

We are watching this, it's good.

As someone who learned to type on a manual typewriter, it can take a while before you have the strength in your little fingers to hit the keys hard enough, which is especially annoying when one of them is the A key!