Women Against Pit Closures
Encyclopedia
Women Against Pit Closures was a political movement supporting miners and their families in the UK miners' strike of 1984–85. The movement is credited with bringing feminist
ideas into practice in an industrial dispute and empowering women to take a public role in a community with a male-dominated sphere.
Their group and support work grew from the communal feeding of families in April and May 1984 to a more explicitly political role. A multitude of local support groups were set up early on in the year-long strike.
An early event was a rally at the end of May 1984, held in Barnsley
which was attended by 5000 women from coalfields across the country, from Scotland to Kent. This was followed by a conference in June and a large protest march in London
on 11 August 1984. 23,000 working class women attended that event, joined by other women trade unionists.
The name Women Against Pit Closures was adopted at a national delegate conference in Chesterfield
in December 1984 and the group sought Associate Membership of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). The movement was influenced by contemporary women's peace movements like the women's camp at Greenham Common.
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
ideas into practice in an industrial dispute and empowering women to take a public role in a community with a male-dominated sphere.
Their group and support work grew from the communal feeding of families in April and May 1984 to a more explicitly political role. A multitude of local support groups were set up early on in the year-long strike.
An early event was a rally at the end of May 1984, held in Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
which was attended by 5000 women from coalfields across the country, from Scotland to Kent. This was followed by a conference in June and a large protest march in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 11 August 1984. 23,000 working class women attended that event, joined by other women trade unionists.
The name Women Against Pit Closures was adopted at a national delegate conference in Chesterfield
Chesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...
in December 1984 and the group sought Associate Membership of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). The movement was influenced by contemporary women's peace movements like the women's camp at Greenham Common.