Dour Lof the organisation of male skilled rkers. The second from 1889 is that ¡the organisation of male unskilled rkers. The third is the organisation white "collar nen and black workers -sing a process we will consider later. This tremendous shift in the comsition of the labour movement is owever in no sense illogical or inexable. It reflects the massive recomisition of the working That recomposition minated by one simple fact: the enincrease in the size of the labour se, and of the working class, in the st war period is accounted for by the ry of married women irkers into the labour force. it constitutes the greatest revolution the structure of British society in the entieth century.
The development of this en in Table 3. Taking first all women work, then the proportion of wömen work showed no change whatever in entirt period from 1881 iable comparable statistics became labic - un 199i. I 18 0 el it of women were in work — in 1951 17 per cent were. 0 Among women aged 15-04. those ost likely to be in work, the increase vas only from 39 per cent to 40 per cent this entire 70 year period.
However, following 70 years of comafter 1951 a violent actural transformation set in in the ¡non or women in the labour force.
ing remained completely static the centage of women in work suddenly an to rise dramatically. The percene of all women in work rose from 27 cent in 1951 to 36 per cent by 1982.
percentage of women aged 15-64 in work increased from 40 per cent in Si to 57 per cent in 1982. By the early ous, for the first time in history, the ijority of women of working age re in paid employment.
work was Darticuld. • the latter Waged 15-64, per itself in turn is rise In the and black tage of married women This had doubled — Women on of married women.
proportion may be doubled in the same period 1973. when • women belweel the lower retirement Tried women of working age, LIOSC paid work.
Married
Even if the higher musi 1984 percent of represents.
the period from 1951 tieth century. worden.
drew ing of black