ABSTRACT
The previous chapter described how trade unions and employers shaped the opportunities open to women working in wartime engin eering. It argued that in negotiating dilution unions wanted to pro tect the jobs and pay of their members, especially those who had temporarily left the industry. They were afraid that dilution would be used to enlarge the category of ‘women’s work’ and that jobs formerly done by men would be cheapened and downgraded. These were the grounds on which they defended equal pay for women replacing men. Employers feared that equal pay for women on men’s work would bring about a general rise for all women and they were therefore reluctant to move women into work recognised as ‘men’s’ . When they did, it was into work which could be redefined as ‘female’ according to the custom of the industry.
