Women in Industry

The Ministry of Labour exhorts women to return to industry – the post-war production drive depends on them.

The Ministry of Labour enlists the wizardry of Richard Massingham to entice women back to industry work after WWII with this succinct, eye-catching public information film. Women workers carried out vital work during the war, and once it was over they were needed again. The rhythmically edited succession of still images gives the film a potent sense of the wheels of industry turning – with women's help.

In the immediate post-war period, when this film was made, the involvement of women workers in the production drive was deemed critical – perhaps not least because they were cheaper to employ than men.