Woman’s Place?, A

1 9 7 8 (UK)
8 x 25 minute episodes

Beginning on Tuesday 2 May 1978, this short BBC-2 anthology series comprised four dramatic plays followed by four documentary films examining the situation of women in Britain in the 1970s.

The first play, ‘Leila’, was written by Frances McNeil, directed by Brownwen Grey, and starred Sharon Duce in the title role. Set in Leeds, the play followed Leila, a married woman, as she returned to work, determined to retrain as a specialist mechanic despite disapproval from her husband, the men training with her, and prospective employers. Also in the cast were Eric Carte, Christian Rodska, Bryan Robson and Anthony Oughton.

‘Glenys’ was written by Elaine Morgan and starred Zelah Clarke (pictured above), Alun Lewis, Christine Pollon, David Garfield and Margaret John. The play looked at the personal conflicts faced by a teenage girl in a small Welsh community over premarital sex and contraception.

Valerie Hanson directed ‘Kay’, which was written by Alma Cullen and starred Anna Calder-Marshall as a young Lancashire wife and mother who worked not by necessity but by choice.

Her mother-in-law (Megs Jenkins) did not approve and triggered Kay’s own feelings of guilt about the domestic price she had to pay to keep her job. Others in the cast were Ralph Bates and Jo Rowbottom.

The final play, ‘Jean’, was another play by Elaine Morgan, directed by Bronwen Gray and starring Irene Richard in the title role. Bored suburban housewife Jean yearned for something more than her luxury home, considerate husband and lovely kids, and relied on tranquilisers to get her through the day.

The four documentaries which followed the plays began on 30 May with ‘A Man’s World’, featuring women who did manual work in traditionally male fields (a carpenter and a painter/decorator) and an interview with Professor Dorothy Hodgkin, a Nobel prize-winning chemist.

The subsequent three documentaries were ‘Housewives Choice’ (which examined why women’s options were limited once they married and had children), ‘What About the Kids?’ (on the problems faced by women trying to raise a family and hold down a full-time job), and ‘Getting The Message’ (which analysed the female image projected by the mass media, which reflects and reinforces women’s traditional role).

Episodes

Leila (2/5/78) | Glenys (9/5/78) | Kay (16/5/78)  | Jean (23/5/78) || A Man’s World (30/5/78) | Housewives’ Choice (6/6/78) | What About the Kids? (13/6/78) | Getting The Message (20/6/78)

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