Yes I have noticed it's Wednesday (and Wednesday evening at that!) but Tuesday this week vanished into a mix of trying to comfort a teething baby and preparing for Mr C's birthday. I had a Ladybird Tuesday post planned in my head though so I'm just pressing ahead a day late.
This week I have another book from the People at Work series (series 606B) and as I found with the In a Hotel book - it seems to be full of things that today would be considered sexist!
First published in 1968 The Car Makers describes the production of a car as it was then, from first designs to finished models. Whereas now robots are used to carry out many of the tasks it used to be men and woman who did so. "Moving tracks" were in use though to carry the car around the factory, and then this was then seen as a huge advance in manufacturing.
The book's sexist slant starts early. Whilst setting the scene of the factories where cars are made it continues as follows:
As well as factories there are blocks of offices. Men and girls work in these, taking in orders for cars and planning the work in the factories. Their work is just as important as that of the men who make the cars.
Hang on a minute, "girls"? Whilst it was fair at the time to point out that it was only men on the factory floor whilst both men and women worked in the offices, why was it necessary to call those women girls? I'm guessing that it's because they were younger women, possibily before they got married and had children (when many women would have given up work) but this was only 1968!
Throughout the book the reference to girls continues. I get the impression that this was a common thing in this series of Ladybird books. I have seen a copy of the Customs Officer book which has a whole page devoted to the tea lady and her important role!
It's also interesting to see how the work environment has changed in terms of work hours. Many car factories now work 24/7 and the idea of an assembly line stopping for dinner time is funny. Whilst there are laws protecting workers in terms of breaks during the working day now, stopping a production line would cost money and that's not something that would be wanted today.
If you have a collection of old Ladybird books then please feel free to join in with Ladybird Tuesday. There are no formal rules to follow, just leave a link to any post you write in the comments below and if you're feeling kind link back to my Ladybird Tuesday category here on Being Mrs C. Thanks!
I've also compiled an index of all the Ladybird Tuesday posts to date - organised by series. It satisfies my inner geek and hopefully will also be of interest to others too.
