The Infiltration of Women in the Coal Mines
How women infiltrated the coal mining industry and what were the effects on society?
Across the United States many corporate companies greatly influence and affected the financial stability for families. In Appalachia the coal mining industry is just one example where many made their living. Throughout the 1900’s the coal mining industry boomed creating massive increase in low wage paying jobs throughout Appalachia. Appalachian society was greatly affected and revolved around the coal mining industry bringing in most of the regions profits. Coal mining affected so many people and brought up other issues regarding workers’ rights and privileges. The biggest problem was the infiltration of women in the coal mining industry. However, the impact on women inside and outside of coal mines created lots of controversy for over a century. Prior to women working within the mines they had a large impact in mining towns and helped their husbands by staying home. Their main job consisted of scrubbing and washing their husbands/ son’s clothes as well as ironing clothes and cooking for the whole family. However, in some cases women began working underground in the mines to do their husbands’ injuries from the mines. When this occurred, it made woman take full financial responsibility for their families and many resulted to working in the mines. Even though in 1901 when protective laws were passed in order to mandate against women working underground or during late hours, coal mining companies didn’t implement these laws. Additionally, conditions for women in the coal mines were very poor as seen by one woman hired by the coal fields. For instance, “One woman in Raleigh County told researchers in 1923 that when she first came to the coalfields, shes cleaned the privy assigned to her house. But the privy was located on the road and used by anyone who might be passing by. In no time, it was again dirty and unsanitary. She struggled to keep it clean for a time, but eventually gave up”. (Greene) Women were giving disgusting jobs, yet many had to continue working these jobs to support their families.
On the other hand, rights for women began to change in the 1960’s when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This Act protected both African Americans and women by creating equal rights opportunities to help prevent discrimination in the workplace. Also, eight years later this Act was adjusted to create a policy to required employers to minority workers and in regard to women in coal mining this somewhat helped provide more women with jobs in the coal field. However, as stated by Marat Moore, “Women were not recognized as full participants in the United States coal industry until late 1973, when a consent decree forced the steel industry to begin hiring women in the coal mines it owned for steel production, called captive mines”. (Moore) Even though by the 70’s there was an increase in women hired for the coal mines there wasn’t nearly as many women hired. One static found states, “In 1974, more than 45,000 men were hired as new miners, while only seventy-one women, or .15 percent, were put on the payroll.” (Moore) This slight increase for women in the coal mines wasn’t enough for the women trying to infiltrate the mines. In 1978, the Coal Employment Project, which was a group who advocated for women, filed a lawsuit over discrimination regarding sex when it came to the hiring process. In turn, over 830 women were hired by coal companies in 1978 which largely increased the number of women working in mines. Also, by the mid-1980’s the number nearly quadrupled due to the activism groups standing up for women in the workplace and especially in the coal mining industry.
Furthermore, women’s rights slowly increased throughout the 1900’s enabling women of Appalachia to work in mines. These rights gained by women through protest and organized groups were in affect across the country and for many industries. In 1923, the National Woman’s Party proposed Constitutional amendment that “men and woman should have equal rights throughout the United States and in every place subject to its jurisdiction” (Haggerty). This was just the beginning of making people aware of the real issues of sex discrimination. Additional court cases improved women’s rights to help reduce requirements for women to work in all industries. One case assisted in reducing the physical requirements that would enable women to work in different jobs. These improvements over the 1900’s helped all women not only woman in the coal mining industry and many accomplishments made by women in the coal mines were influenced both from the Appalachian regions and outside. Overtime woman’s rights increased enabling social changes throughout the country. Overall, women were able to infiltrate the coal mining industry, and this greatly affected society today.
Work Cited:
- Sinha, Jyoti. “Labour and Body Violence: Women’s Saga from Jharia Colliery to West Virginia Colliery.” ANTYAJAA: Indian Journal of Women and Social Change, vol. 2, no. 1, 2017, pp. 32–47., doi:10.1177/2455632717721537.
- Moore, Marat. “Hard Labor: Voices of Women from the Appalachian Coalfields.” Yale Journal.
- Lind, Shawn. “Coalmining Women.” Appalshop, www.appalshop.org/media/coalmining-women/.
- Greene, Janet W. “Strategies for Survival: Women’s Work in the Southern West Virginia Coal Camps.” Anne Bailey: “Anne Bailey”, www.wvculture.org/history/journal_wvh/wvh49-4.html.
- Lacianese, Adelina. “The Miner and the Matriarch: Coal Mining Women of West Virginia.” 100 Days in Appalachia, 3 July 2017, www.100daysinappalachia.com/2017/02/27/miner-matriarch-coal-mining-women-west-virginia/.
- Wmmt. “Mountain News & World Report: Coal Terminal Controversy; Appalachian Seed-Saving; Coalmining Women.” WMMT, 16 Mar. 2017, www.wmmt.org/mountain-news-appalachian-seed-saving-coalmining-women/.
