Women and work after the second world war: a case study of the jute industry, circa 1945-1954

This article examines the attempts by the Dundee jute industry to recruit women workers in the years circa 1945-1954. It locates its discussion of these attempts in the literature on the impact of the Second World War on the participation of women in the British labour market more generally, and the forces determining that participation. It stresses the peculiarities of jute as a traditional major employer of women operating in very specific market conditions, but suggests this case study throws light on the broader argument about the impact of war and early post-war conditions on women’s participation in paid work.