Abstract from dissertation by Victoria Shepherd:
This dissertation explores the role of Nottinghamshire women in the miners’ strike of 1984-5. This has been achieved largely through oral history, of which I conducted five interviews with women involved in the strike. In addition, media reports from local newspapers and televised news have provided large amounts of evidence. The investigation seeks to explore the role of both Nottinghamshire women who supported and where possible those who opposed the strike, the latter being an area largely unexplored. I will argue that pro-strike women, because of the demands of the strike, took a collective active role, encompassing variety of activities including networking, picketing, and welfare work and in several cases official union business. Conversely, women who opposed the strike were not needed for such roles and instead filled the role as a canvas for intimidation.
Gender historians have raised several main themes when exploring women supporting the strike including community, alterations to gender roles, and attitudes to state authority. However, these themes are often explored in largely pro-strike areas; the majority of Nottinghamshire miners carried on working. This dissertation of 10048 words argues that despite the divisions in regional community, women who supported the strike still viewed ‘community’ as a motivational force for strike action. In addition the roles of women who supported the strike removed them from their stereotypical gender roles more than women who opposed the strike. Lastly an exploration into attitudes to state authority will argue that for the duration of the strike, anti-strike women experienced a positive view of the state. For women supporting the strike the experiences of the state and its instruments aroused mistrust of authority. Ultimately Nottinghamshire offers a complex environment in which to explore the role of all women and their contrasting experiences in the strike.
