The Hired Hands
While 98% of secretaries are women, 90% of bosses are men... good secretaries are often too valuable to be promoted.
– Judy Jackson
‘The Hired Hands’ takes a critical look at the conditions of employment for the one in three women who work as typists, receptionists, clerks and secretaries in Great Britain, and examines why women in these positions are often underpaid and exploited.
We are taken to Lucie Clayton's secretarial College where training includes sessions in hair and make-up; “looking good” is seen as a basic qualification, for secretaries are expected to provide – along with typing, shorthand and administrative backup – a “personal service” for their bosses (which often entails such tasks as making tea and ordering flowers for wedding anniversaries).
An Alfred Marks' survey in 1982 reported that over 50% of women office-workers complained of sexual harassment at work – the majority of these women felt they could only deal with the situation by leaving their jobs. The tape pulls together these facts and more to present a strong case for change. An excellent starting point for discussion on the “double-burden” for working women of balancing a home and a job, the issue of equal pay, the part-time trap and how stereotypes affect our choice of work.
Description source: Circles catalogue (1987). Edited by Jenny Holland and Jane Harris.
